Beware, older languages below! The languages below were invented during Tolkien's earlier period and should be used with caution. Remember to never, ever mix words from different languages!

Early Quenya

tanta

noun. number

Early Quenya [QL/090] Group: Eldamo. Published by

tanta(ra)

adjective. bouncing, resilient

A word appearing as ᴱQ. tantara “bouncing, resilient” in the Qenya Lexicon of the 1910s, an adjectival form of the verb ᴱQ. tanta- “bounce, bound, rebound” (QL/93-94). Early Qenya Word-lists of the 1920s instead had tanta “bouncing, resilient” (PE16/142).

Neo-Quenya: Since I retain ᴺQ. tanta- “to bounce, bound, rebound” for purposes of Neo-Quenya, I would retain ᴺQ. tantara “bouncing, resilient” as well.

Early Quenya [PE16/142; QL/094] Group: Eldamo. Published by

tanta-

verb. to dance (tr.), dandle, wave

A verb in the Qenya Lexicon of the 1910s glossed “dance (tr.), dandle, wave”, derived from the early root ᴱ√TṆTṆ having to do with bouncing things (QL/94). In the same entry there was a separate verb tanta- “bounce, bound, rebound” (QL/93). The two verbs had distinct past forms: tante “bounced” vs. tantane “dandled”, and seem to be intransitive and transitive respectively. In the English-Qenya Dictionary of the 1920s it was given as a verb meaning “dance” (PE15/71).

Early Quenya [PE15/71; QL/094] Group: Eldamo. Published by

tanta-

verb. to bounce, bound, rebound

A verb appearing as ᴱQ. tanta- “bounce, bound, rebound” in the Qenya Lexicon of the 1910s under the early root ᴱ√TṆTṆ (QL/93). The verb tante reappeared in the Early Qenya Grammar based on primitive ✶tṇt- {“dance” >>} “bounce” (PE14/58). See also the transitive variant tanta- from this same period “dance (tr.), dandle, wave” (QL/94).

Neo-Quenya: As we have no better options for “bounce”, for purposes of Neo-Quenya I would retain ᴺQ. tanta- “to bounce, bound, rebound” based on the Neo-Root ᴺ√TANAT; I would use it both transitively and intransitively, with distinct past forms tantane “bounced [something]” and tanante “bounced [self]”. This does conflict with the 1960s verb Q. tanta- “to play a harp”, but I prefer 1930s ᴹQ. ñanda- “to harp” instead. For other “dance” verbs see Q. lilta-.

In a 2025-01-25 post to the Vinyë Lambengolmor Discord Server (VLDS), Luinyelle this word might also mean “swing (intr.), sway, dandle, wave”.

Early Quenya [PE14/058; QL/093] Group: Eldamo. Published by

tantare

noun. dance

A word for “dance” in the English-Qenya Dictionary of the 1920s, a noun form of ᴱQ. tanta- “dance” (PE15/71). The same noun appeared various times in the contemporaneous Early Qenya Grammar (PE14/42-44, 71, 73).

Early Quenya [PE14/042; PE14/043; PE14/044; PE14/071; PE14/073; PE15/71] Group: Eldamo. Published by

tantl

noun. shuttle

A noun appearing as ᴱQ. tantl “shuttle” in the Qenya Lexicon of the 1910s under the early root ᴱ√TṆTṆ with derivatives having to do with “bouncing” (QL/93).

Neo-Quenya: I adapt this early root as ᴺ√TANAT “bounce”, and as would therefore update the Early Qenya word to ᴺQ. tantal “shuttle”. This does conflict somewhat with late 1960s tant(il)a “harp”, but I prefer 1930s ᴹQ. nande for “harp” words.

Early Quenya [QL/093] Group: Eldamo. Published by

lalta

noun. dance

lilt

noun. dance

A noun appearing in the Qenya Lexicon and Poetic and Mythological Words of Eldarissa of the 1910s as ᴱQ. lilt “a dance” based on the early root ᴱ√LḶTḶ (QL/55), where [[eq|short syllabic [ḷ] became [il]]] (PE12/11). In the English-Qenya Dictionary of the 1920s, the noun form was lalta, probably with [[eq|long syllabic [ḹ] becoming [al]]] (PE15/71).

Neo-Quenya: I would adapt this noun as ᴺQ. liltë “dance”, based on the later root ᴹ√LILT “dance” (Ety/LILT).

Early Quenya [PE15/71; PME/055; QL/055; VT40/08] Group: Eldamo. Published by

lilt-

verb. to dance

Early Quenya [PE14/058; PE15/71; QL/055] Group: Eldamo. Published by