#tengwië noun "language" in the compound mátengwië "language of the hands" (VT47:9). Compare tengwë, tengwesta.
Quenya
tengwë
indication, sign, token
tengwë
noun. sign, token, indication; writing, sign, token, indication; writing; [ᴱQ.] knowledge, understanding; idea, notion, thought
Derivations
- ✶tekmē “writing, grammar” ✧ PE19/086
- √TEK “make a written mark, sign, write, make a written mark, sign, write, [ᴹ√] write or draw (signs or letters)” ✧ PE19/086
- ✶teñwe “sign, token, indication” ✧ VT39/04; VT39/17; WJ/394
- √TEÑ “indicate, signify, show, represent, betoken, mark, to point at, indicate, signify, show, represent, betoken, mark, to point at; [ᴱ√] know, understand” ✧ VT39/04; VT39/15; WJ/394
Element in
- ᴺQ. calatengwë “photograph, (lit.) light-writing”
- Q. lambetengwë “consonant” ✧ VT39/16
- Q. náva-tengwë “consonant” ✧ VT39/08
- Q. pávatengwë “consonant” ✧ VT39/08
- ᴺQ. nwátengwë “irony, (lit.) disguise-token”
- Q. óma-tengwë “vowel-sign” ✧ VT39/08; VT39/16
- ᴺQ. tengwelanga “transcription”
- Q. tengwelë “language (general term), language (general term); [ᴱQ.] sense” ✧ VT39/16
- Q. tengwesta “grammar, morphology, system or code of signs, collection of matter concerning writing, *language structure” ✧ PE21/82; VT39/16; WJ/394
Phonetic Developments
Development Stages Sources ✶tekmē > tengwe [tekmē] > [tegmē] > [teŋmē] > [teŋgwē] > [teŋgwe] ✧ PE19/086 ✶teñgwe > tengwe [teŋwe] > [teŋgwe] ✧ VT39/04 ✶teñ-we > teñgwe [teŋwe] > [teŋgwe] ✧ VT39/17 ✶tenwe > tengwe [teŋwe] > [teŋgwe] ✧ WJ/394 Variations
- tengwe ✧ PE19/086 (tengwe); VT39/04; VT39/05; VT39/07; WJ/394; WJ/396
- teñgwe ✧ PE21/82; VT39/16; VT39/17
tengwië
language
tengwelë
language
tengwelë noun "Language" (in all its aspects), a general word for the grouping and composing of tengwi (linguistic "signs", phonemes) into a linguistic system (VT39:16)
tengwa
noun. sign
sign, indicator, letter
tengwa
letter
tengwa (pl. tengwar is attested) (1) noun "letter" Tengwa (ñ) is defined as "any one visible sign representing (theoretically) any one audible teñgwe" (phoneme) (VT39:17). In non-technical usage tengwa was equivalent to "consonant", since only the consonants were full signs (WJ:396, TEK). In the Etymologies, tengwa was apparently emended from tengwë (VT46:17).
tengwestië
language
tengwestië noun "Language" as abstract or phenomenon (WJ:394)
narwë
sign, token
[narwë (and short nar, unless this is an incomplete form) noun "sign, token"] (VT45:37)
tanwa
sign, token
tanwa noun "sign, token" (Tolkien marked this word with a query, but it is not clearly rejected). Also tanna (#1). (PE17:186)
sarmë
writing
sarmë noun "writing" (VT39:8). Cf. sarat.
sarmë
noun. writing
Derivations
- √SAR “score, incise; write, score, incise; [extended sense] write; [ᴹ√] *stone”
Variations
- sarme ✧ VT39/08
lambelë
language
lambelë noun "Language" (especially with reference to phonology), *"phonetics" (VT39:15)
ista
knowledge
ista (1) noun "knowledge" (IS). Also istya.
istare
noun. knowledge
istya
knowledge
istya noun "knowledge" (IS). Also ista (#1).
Nolmë
knowledge, philosophy (including science)
Nolmë ("ñ")noun "knowledge, Philosophy (including Science)" (PM:360 cf. 344)
handë
knowledge, understanding, intelligence
handë noun "knowledge, understanding, intelligence" (KHAN). Note: *handë is (probably) also the past tense of the verb har- "sit".
taina
sign
#taina (2) noun "sign", isolated from Tainacolli *"Sign-bearer" MR:385
tanna
sign, token
tanna (1) noun "sign, token" (MR:385, PE17:186), also tanwa (PE17:186)
sarat
letter
sarat (pl. sarati given) noun "letter", any individual significant mark, used of the letters of Rúmil after the invention of Fëanor's tengwar (WJ:396). Cf. sarmë.
issë
knowledge, lore
issë noun "knowledge, lore" (LT2:339; rather ista or istya in Tolkien's later Quenya)
tengwë (pl. tengwi attested) noun "indication, sign, token", in linguistics used for phonemes(VT39:7, WJ:394); hloníti tengwi "phonetic signs" (WJ:395). The term tengwë was particularly associated with consonants (VT39:16). In the Etymologies, stem TEK, tengwë is glossed "writing"; this gloss would seem to be obsolete (for this meaning the word sarmë occurs in Tolkien's later material).