Common Elvish

Common Elvish is ...

History

• /m/ before /i/ > /f/

Ex: murá "dead" > fira "dead" (PHIR-)

Ex: hūlá "fiery" > níra

Ilfira

The root for "death" has a nominal stem (NÚR-) and an adjectival stem (PHIR-)

núru "death"

maur > NÚR-

fira

il- "not/un-" (Adamic al)

ilfirin

Phonology

Vowel inventory Consonant inventory Syllable structure Stress Intonation

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Morphology

The root QUE- "speech" descends from Adamic -q-f-l- "speech", or more specifically, from its canonic verbal form qua-. The root KHÚ- "dog" derives from hū- "to bark". The root LÁ- from lā- "to use the tongue". KHE- from qia- "to see"...

To form the singular, for any pure root ending in a consonant, one merely adds -u [Adamic -u] if the root is DARK, otherwise -a.

ALF- "human / elf" > alba "human / elf"

NÚR- "death" > núru "death"

If a pure root ends in a vowel, the singular is formed by adding -le (canonic -l). If the last vowel is u, however, one adds -o [Adamic -u] instead.

QUE- > quele "sound"

HÚ- > húo "dog"

If a suffix is added to the root, there may be two singulars; one passive ending in -a (Adamic -a') and one active in -ë.

QUE- + -n- [verbal affix] > quenda "speech" / quendë "speaker"

The definite article is i(l) (fusion of Canonic -l with Adamic iru), which is invariable.

i húo "the dog"

i hý "the dogs"

The personal pronouns:

ni "I", me "we"

tye "you (sin.) (familiar)" / lye "you (sin.) (formal)", rye "you (plu.)"

(s)e "he/she", sa "it", heli "they", hilar "they"

The copula:

eá "to be" (canonic ā- "to be")

il alba eri hú "the man is a dog" (Adamic avâla iru kufán, Canonic vāh hu)

il alba firi "the man is dead" (Adamic avâla murá-su, Canonic vāh muris)

The construct state:

hú il elbi "the man's dog"

LÁ- > lámba "tongue", lámbë "language" *irregular extension; compare gásca "throat" ULU- "to pour" from hua- "to moisten" lunda "flood", lundë "rain" hendë, hendi "eye, eyes" húa (acc.) quen "I speak" Quendar, quendi ni ben, embë bemmë ae bes, lye berrë il beli, endë belembar e-i [3p] Sound change: /i/ > /e/, /u/ > /i/ [not used in canonic forms] Reduxtion:

Death: NÚR- (n.), PHIR- (adj.), (NGÚ-)

Sound: QUE- (n.), HIR- (adj.), BE- (

ben "I speak", bet "you speak", bes "he/she speaks"

vāl > alfu
hul > húo
qul > quele

Sound Laws

Common Elvish

• If two bordering syllables/syllable portions possess the same consonant, the consonant of the weakest syllable (portion) disappears.
  

EX: Adamic vāl "person" and vār "people" become alf (not *falf) and elbi.

• Assimilation:
• Harmony: [a > e > i] or [i > e > a]
  
• Mutation: consonants extend grade until there is only one.
  

m/n + p -mb [extension of p]
m/n + t -nd [extension of t]
r/l + f -lb [extension of l]
r/l + c -rd [extension of r]
r/l + m = -lm [extension of m]
r/l + n = -rn [extension of n]

• /s/ and /d/ can only happen before /a/, and if the opposite were to happen, the nucleus would be dropped.

alba "people" [alf, elbi] arda "things" [arc, irida] alma "high faculties" [a, elmi] arna "emotions, sensations" [an, erni] amba "time" [amf, embi] anda "space" [anc, inida] - endar "land", arni "lands" embal "celestial body", ambeli...

NA > ni [0], nae [1] alba enir ni, pe, ae MA NA PA TA LA RA - ALBA ARDA AMBA ANDA ALMA ARNA

iru > eri > ere anu > ni

Black Speech

anu > ni, aku > ug

/kʷ/ vs /pʲ/~/w̥ʲ/~/ɥ/

K [associated with choking

P [associated with kissing

White Speech vs Black Speech

• lack of gutturals vs lack of labials
• synthesis vs agglutination
• words don't repeat vs words repeat
• diphthongs allowed vs diphthongs forbidden
• only sonorants as coda vs anything as coda except sonorants
• constraints

be "I speak” vs ug yogug "I speak"
bet "you speak” vs ug yogug "you speak"
bes "he/she speaks" vs ul yogul "he/she speaks"

uruk yogul "the orc speaks"
uruk yogugul "the orc speaks to me"
uruk yoguguluk "the orc speaks to me about them"

yo- "speak" + -gu- [first person] + -g- [epenthetic particle] +-ul- [third person] + -uk [generic person]

níe "dog", ainír
hu "dog"

sebeze paddaen adres nirdasbar vs zhogodosh kaktatona atrosh nurtaskara

• anu > ni vs aku > ug
• belep, belli vs gog, gog-nagog

belep (nom) bellī (pl) albā (col)
bel (acc) parabel (pl) ambī (col)
elbī (gen) il (pl) pasadarvā (col)
vs gog, gog-nagog
gogash, gog-nagogash
gogu, gog-nagogu

• Belep vs gog
• Balardemea vs kalaradunga

Other resources

https://folk.uib.no/hnohf/primelv.htm