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Lex
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Post future tense of verbs ending in "-l"
on: July 22, 2007 03:33
The past tense of verbs ending in -l is formed by adding -lë (like vil- > villë). The resulting ll is probably related to earlier "ln" or "nl", for both turned to ll in quenya. So, villë is very likely to have come from earlier forms "wilnë" or "winlë" (this last one with nasal infixion). Thus it seems the past tense of such verbs, in truth, is formed by normally adding -në with infixion of this n before the last consonant of the verb stem (in other words, nasal infixion + -ë), producing nl. But this cluster is not allowed by quenya's phonology, so the n turns to l (i.e. nl changes to ll):

vil- > vilnë > vinlë > villë


With that in mind, and regarding the future tense of basic verbs:

it seems to be formed by adding -uva to the verb stem.

tir- > tiruva
vil- > viluva

The verb"to fill" is given as the a-stem quanta- in the Qenya Lexicon: 78 (written qanta), and the future tense quantuva is attested in LotR's Namárië in the form enquantuva (en- + quantuva).
But in Quendi and Eldar (which is post-LotR) Tolkien refers to the "verb stem *KWATA, Q. quat-". Although it's not very clear if "Q. quat-" is actually the verb quat-"to fill" or if it is the mere form the root KWATA takes in quenya, it may well be the verb quat- "to fill".

If Tolkien just forgot he had already came up with quanta- in LotR' Namárië, then now "to fill" is indeed quat-, and the future tense may be quatuva, as the gereral rule for basic verbs suggests, or perhaps quantuva (by nasal infixion), as attested in LotR's Namárië.

Thus, since the past tense of quat- must be quantë and the future tense is possibly quantuva, both with nasal infixion, maybe the verbs that form their past tenses by nasal infixion + -ë form ther future tenses in the same manner, by nasal infixion + -uva. Ex:

mat- (pa.t. mantë) > mantuva (instead of matuva)

If this is true, so verbs ending in -l (which probably form their past tenses through nasal infixion) will probably form their future tenses through nasal infixion too, produciing the impossible cluster nl wich then turns to ll. Ex:

vil- (pa.t. villë - probably form earlier "winlë" with nasal infixion) > vinluva > villuva (instead of viluva)

May this theory be right?

[Edited on 23/7/2007 by Lex]
thorsten
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Post RE: future tense of verbs ending in "-l"
on: July 22, 2007 08:24
Helge Fauskanger proposed a similar theory in his Quenya Course, assuming that verbs which undergo nasal infixion in past tense *may* also undergo nasal infixion in future tense. Unfortunately, there is no evidence to prove or disprove the notion.

queluva in LR:63 would argue somewhat against ?villuva, but then again, this is pre-LOTR Qenya.

On the basis of aesthetic judgement, I could imagine that Tolkien would have preferred ?mantuva over ?matuva, but that's a rather subjective criterion. On the other hand, I fail that the same argument would apply for vil-, there doesn't seem to be much of an improvement in pleasantness.
Lex
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Post RE: future tense of verbs ending in "-l"
on: July 22, 2007 10:44
I took this theory exactly from Helge's course, indeed. But he does not give any example of basic verbs in -l (only examples of verbs in -c, -p, -t) which probably form past tenses by nasal infixion (different from verbs in -c, -p, -t, which evidently form their past tenses in this manner). So my question was actually about the verbs in -l.

And i forgot about queluva
So... since it does not aprove nor desaprove that verbs in -l have past tenses in -lluva, could i use either viluva or villuva with no problems (despite it makes no difference in terms of pleasantness), until more material to be published eliminates this uncertainty?

[Edited on 23/7/2007 by Lex]
Lambengolmo
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Post RE: future tense of verbs ending in "-l"
on: July 23, 2007 06:17
Not really pertinent to your point, but old Quenya ln probably became ld not ll.

As for which to choose, Occam's Razor suggests going with the theory that least complicates the issue. I'd use viluva unless more evidence comes to bear.

[Edited on 23/7/2007 by Lambengolmo]
Lex
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Post RE: future tense of verbs ending in "-l"
on: July 23, 2007 07:16
Occam's Razor suggests going with the theory that least complicates the issue. I'd use viluva unless more evidence comes to bear.
That is true
silmenuquerna
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Post RE: future tense of verbs ending in "-l"
on: August 14, 2007 05:11
How about cal-, to shine? Future tense caluva (UT:22 cf. 51), not **calluva. Reference from and credit to Fauskanger's wordlist.
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