I know, I know, elvish of all languages? That's right! I recently took interest in learning the amazing language that J.R.R Tolkien created for his Lord of the Rings series. Because I'm such a fan of the movies, and am hoping to read the entire trilogy (and possibly The Hobbit ) this year, I decided to dive headfirst into learning the language of the coolest book troupe EVER - THE ELVES! I was able to find a website that offered dozens of elvish phrases, and their pronunciations (SO helpful!). I copied and pasted the list into a document and, voilà ! Piece of cake! :) I now have plenty of words and phrases to keep me busy for the next few weeks, and hopefully I'll have them memorized pretty soon (if I stick with it!)... learning a new language is NEVER easy, so it will be challenging, but how cool would it be to say: "Pedin edhellen" without anyone knowing what you're talking about? :) So, just for the fun of it, I'm attaching some basic elvish phrases and words below for you to take a stab at yourself!
“Home is behind, the world ahead, and there are many paths to tread
through shadows to the edge of night,until the stars are all alight.”
― J.R.R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings
Also, a quick note that may be helpful if you're interested in learning elvish is to find a pronunciation guide. These are really useful, especially since elvish letters are said quite differently than English, so a guide would definitely be a useful tool...
“Don’t adventures ever have an end? I suppose not. Someone else always has to carry on the story.”
― J.R.R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings
Basic Elvish Phrases
NOTE: There are two different forms of elvish - Sindarian and Quenya. These phrases are in Sindarian, so after the English form, the Sindarian (i.e elvish) translation is below...
English: Welcome!
Sindarin: Aldol!
Pronunciation: AL.dol
English: I am ___
(for extra authenticity, you can try to find your name in elvish...)
Sindarin: Im ___
Pronunciation: IM ...
English: May we speak as friends now?
Sindarin: Pedathanc hi sui vellyn?
Pronunciation: PE.da.thañk HI SUI VEL.lyn
English: Until next we meet
Sindarin: Na lû e-govaded 'wîn
Pronunciation: na LUUU e GO.va.ded WIIIN
English: Yes
Sindarin: *Naw
Pronunciation: NAW
English: No
Sindarin: *Law
Pronunciation: LAW
English: I love you
Sindarin: Le melin
Pronunciation: le ME.lin
English: I can say what I wish, and you can't understand me
Sindarin: Pedin i phith in aníron, a nin ú-cheniog
Pronunciation: PE.din i FITH in a.NII.ron a NIN uu.KHE.ni.og
Thank you LOTR fans for stopping by to talk elvish! XD I hope you enjoyed this different post, and I'd love to see you back again next week! Na lû e-govaded 'wîn!!! (let me know in the comments below this post if you found out what I said above! :)
A Closing Quote from J.R.R Tolkien ~
“...a perfect house, whether you like food or sleep or story-telling or sing, or just sitting and thinking best, or a pleasant mixture of them all.' Merely to be there was a cure for weariness, fear, and sadness.” ― The Lord of the Rings