ya

root. *there, over there; (of time) back, ago, [ᴹ√] there, over there; (of time) back, ago

√YA was demonstrative and relative pronominal root with particular reference to the past for much of Tolkien’s life. Its first appearance was as ᴱ√YA “demonstrative pointing back” in the Qenya Lexicon of the 1910s with variants ᴱ√DYA, ᴱ√YE, ᴱ√DYE, appearing above the entry for ᴱ√DYĒ “behind, back (before of time)” (QL/105). In the Early Qenya Grammar of the 1920s, ᴱQ. ya was given as an indeclinable relative pronoun (PE14/54), and it was used as such in the ᴱQ. Nieninqe poem from around 1930: ᴱQ. yar i vilya anta miqilis “to whom the air gives kisses” (MC/215).

In The Etymologies of the 1930s, Tolkien gave the root as ᴹ√YA “there, over there; (of time) back, ago” with derivatives like ᴹQ. yá/N. io “ago”, ᴹQ. yana “that (the former)”, and ᴹQ. yára/N. iaur “ancient, old(en)” (Ety/YA; EtyAC/YA). Tolkien continued to use Q. yára/S. iaur “old” in later writings (RC/579; UT/384; WJ/192), but the only clear reference to the primitive form yā- in later writings (as currently published in 2021) was as the basis for extended roots √YAG “gap” and √YANA “wide” (PE17/42).

Tolkien continued to use Q. ya as a relative pronoun as well, most notably in the draft and final versions of the Q. Namárië poem (VT28/11; LotR/377), in Quenya prayers from the 1950s (VT43/27), and in the 1955 version of the Q. Nieninquë poem. Tolkien also had a personal variant of the relative pronoun: Q. ye in notes from the late 1960s (VT47/21). It is not clear whether the personal/impersonal relative pronouns ye/ya were directly derived from √YA, or if they were independent developments.

Derivatives

• Q. ya “which, that (relative pronoun)”
• Q. yá “when”
• Q. yára “old, ancient, old, ancient, [ᴹQ.] belonging to or descending from former times”
• Q. ye “who”
• S. iaur “old, old; [N.] ancient, olden”

Element in

• √YAG “gap, gap; [ᴹ√] yawn, gape” ✧ PE17/042
• √YAN “wide, extensive, large, vast, huge; extend” ✧ PE17/042

Variations

• yā- ✧ PE17/042

-yā

suffix. causative

Element in

• ✶matyā- “to feed” ✧ PE22/135
• ✶tulyā- “to cause to come, send for, fetch, summon” ✧ PE22/135; PE22/135

Variations

• jā ✧ PE22/135
• yā ✧ PE22/156

as(a)

preposition. and

Changes

• as(a) → ad(a) “and” ✧ PE17/041

Derivations

• √AS “beside” ✧ VT47/31

Derivatives

• Q. ar “and, and; [ᴱQ., ᴹQ.] but” ✧ PE17/041; PE17/041; VT47/31
• S. a “and; †by, near, beside” ✧ PE17/041; PE17/041; VT43/30; VT47/31

Variations

• as ✧ VT43/30; VT47/31