Common Elvish

Common Elvish is ...

Phonology

Vowel inventory Consonant inventory Syllable structure Stress Intonation

-->

Morphology

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

If no suffix is added to the root, the singular is formed by adding -le (canonic -l) if the last vowel is any other than u. In case it is not, an -o [Adamic -u] is added instead.

QUE- > quele "sound"

HÚ- > húo "dog"

If a suffix is added to the root, there may be two singulars; one ending in -a and one in -ë

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

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, elyë berrë il beli, endë belembar e-i [3p]

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