Quenya 

tengwë

indication, sign, token

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).

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

DevelopmentStagesSources
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
Quenya [PE19/086; PE21/82; VT39/04; VT39/05; VT39/07; VT39/08; VT39/16; VT39/17; WJ/394; WJ/395; WJ/396] Group: Eldamo. Published by

tengwië

language

#tengwië noun "language" in the compound mátengwië "language of the hands" (VT47:9). Compare tengwë, tengwesta.

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

Quenya [PE 19:97] Group: Mellonath Daeron. Published by

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

Quenya [PE 22:110] Group: Mellonath Daeron. Published by

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)