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

-->

Morphology

M > N-, -NG-, -N (dark) / M- (bright)

In CE words are either DARK or BRIGHT. If a word is dark, it can only contain dark and neuter sounds.

The root QUE- "speech" descends from Adamic -q-f-l- "speech", or more specifically, from its adjective form without the last consonant, qu-. The root HÚ- "dog" derives from hu- [...] Other roots besides L and N conserve thr third consonant though.

-m-f-r- > mur > NUR- > u núru (DARK)

There is law in CE that within a root open syllables are long and closed syllables short

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- [passive nominal affix] > quenda "speech" / quendë "speaker"

The definite article is iau.

hú "dog" > u húo "the dog" > i ný "the dogs"

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

quoro

The personal pronouns:

ny "I", my "we"

luo, lie "you (sin.), rie "you (plu.)"

ou, ei "he, she", ū, ī "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", bel "you speak", bes "he/she speaks"

vāl > alfu hul > húo

qul > quele

DARK húo "dog" BRIGHT alba "human"

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