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

In CE words are either DARK or BRIGHT:

HÚ "dog"

ALBA "person"

Sounds other than L and N are conserved at the end of roots:

qaúl "speech" > QUË "speech"

maúr > NÚR "death"

With the article open syllables are long and closed syllables short:

HÚ "dog" > u húo

ALBA "person" > i elbi

The plural:

u húo "the dog" > i níe "the dogs"

i elbi "the person" > u orgu "the persons"

Third-person agreement does not trigger euphony:

u quënda "he is the language" / quënda u "he, the language"

ou quëndaë "he [X]-s the language", quëndaë ou "he is [X]-ed by the language"

óua quëndáëa "the language of his", quëndáëa óua "the language to him"

Masculine agreement in first-person triggers:

nu belen "I am a speaker" / belen nu "I, the speaker"

angu belein "I speak" / belein angu "I am spoken"

arcnu beléian "a speaker of mine" / beléian arcnu "a speaker to me"

Feminine agreement in first-person triggers:

mi golon "I am a speaker" / golon mi "I, the speaker"

ambi goloun "I speak" / goloun ambi "I am spoken"

dalpmi golóuan "a speaker of mine" / golóuan dalpmi "a speaker to me"

the first position is the subject followed by a copula; sentences are SOV (the object is always NEUTER); and the possessor is always the second element:

u húo ëa quënda "

ou hóua quëndaë bel "the dog speaks the language"

quëndáëa óua hóuada "the dog's language"

Compare

óua quëndáëa "the language of his"

óua gondáëa "the languages"

Masculine roots:

hú, u húo, i níe,

hóua, ou hóua, ei néia,

hóuada, óua hóuada, éia néiada

Neuter roots quënda, i benda, u gonda quëndaë, ei bendaë, ou gondaë quëndáëa, éia bendáëa, óua gondáëa

quënda (when non-subject of non-pronouns) benda (when subject of non-pronouns or connected to masculine pronouns) gonda (when subject of non-pronouns or connected to pronouns)

quëndáëa /kʷɨndaːɨ̯a/

a/ë > aë > áëa

m > mb > lpm n > nd > ∅ n > ng > rkn l > lb > mbl r > rd > ndr

dalpmi / darcnu

i (n) > e-i (#) > a-e-i (#)

i (v) > i-e > i-e-a

e (v) >

P > P-L > P-L-T > P-L-T-N

N N-R-M (I) N N-R-H (U)

M > M-L-N > M-L-N-D D-R-P-

u><i, e><o, a><y

u>o, i>e, a>y

ai ē

i > ei > eia

If a pure root ends in a vowel, the singular is formed by adding -RV (canonic -l). If the last vowel is i or u, however, one adds -e or -o 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.

QUË- + -n- [passive nominal affix] > quënda "speech" / quendë "speaker"

The personal pronouns:

nu "I (masc.)", mi "I (fem.)"

luo, rie "you (sin.)"

ou, ei "he, she"

lunda "flood", lundë "rain"

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

Other resources

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