Welcome Guest 

Register

Forum Home » Languages » Quenya Discussion » Quenya in daily use
Author Topic:
ceocan
Council Member
Posts: 1
Send Message
Avatar
Post Quenya in daily use
on: September 01, 2003 04:20
Can I use Quenya in daily use. I mean not to speak Dutch anymore and talk Quenya all the time.
oinklikeapig
Council Member
Posts: 32
Send Message
Avatar
Post RE: Quenya in daily use
on: September 01, 2003 05:08
I don't know if you could speak Quenya all the time... I'm really new to Quenya, but I've studied Sindarin for a while, and I know that both languages have less vocabulary than a normal language.

I know that Sindarin isn't really complete enough to speak 100 percent of the time... Not sure about Quenya, though

~oink~
Quesseriël
Council Member
Posts: 14
Send Message
Avatar
Post RE: Quenya in daily use
on: September 01, 2003 06:10
i believe that Quenya can be spoken in normal conversations. The only problems would be with technology. Nevertheless, the coining words for "internet, computer, etc." in Quenya would be similar to that of a language of a developing nation. i think the biggest problem would be trying to find someone else that speaks Quenya fluently to talk to!
falather
Council Member
Posts: 579
Send Message
Avatar
Post RE: Quenya in daily use
on: September 01, 2003 08:02
I would love to speak nothing but Quenya all the time- you'd get really good at it after a while! Yes, the technology thing would definately be an issue, but a lot of our "new" words are based off of bits and pieces of "old" words, so there might not be that much to guess on. (Like "telephone" comes from "tele" far and "phone" hearing, I think...) I'd be more concerned with verbs and tenses. (For instance, we don't have a word for "should" or "must" yet.)

This actually could be an interesting project to try... (scurries off to find empty notebook)
oinklikeapig
Council Member
Posts: 32
Send Message
Avatar
Post RE: Quenya in daily use
on: September 01, 2003 11:09
You guys are probably right... like I said, I'm very new to Quenya.

I think it would be fun to have a "Quenya Day"... with it's partner, "Sindarin Day", of course... where all of us speakers try to speak only that language. If only we could agree on a date, then on that day we'd know that lots of other people are doing it too, all around the world.

:love:~oink~:love:

P.S. Wouldn't it be funny if we did organize a "Quenya Day" and you realized that someone at your school/work/etc. spoke it too, and you never knew it?

[Edited on 1/9/2003 by oinklikeapig]
Arelle
Council Member
Posts: 6
Send Message
Avatar
Post RE: Quenya in daily use
on: September 02, 2003 09:31
Aiya meldonyar,
I think that a "Quenya Day" would be a lot of fun. This would indead be interesting to look into. I'm wondering how many people would actually support this idea and actually participate in the fun. Food for thought.
-Arelle
falather
Council Member
Posts: 579
Send Message
Avatar
Post RE: Quenya in daily use
on: September 02, 2003 02:17
I'd participate! I think it would be fun! In my German class, my teacher had us try to speak in German for the whole hour. It was fun because we discovered that we knew and understood a LOT more than we thought we did. I bet it would be the same way with Quenya.
Ersulwen
Council Member
Posts: 18
Send Message
Avatar
Post RE: Quenya in daily use
on: September 02, 2003 07:45
I think we can use...bs Tolkien wrote diaries in Elvish...(Thou I dunno which language he used for this )
Malinornë
FAQ Admin, Quenya Moderator & Eldameldë
Posts: 1205
Send Message
Avatar
Post RE: Quenya in daily use
on: September 03, 2003 06:05
A "Quenya Day"?! Sounds fun! Let´s proclaim it...lol. It might be difficult to find someone around who speaks Quenya, but we can start practising here and now...check out Falather´s thread "Á quete" - it´s for conversation in Quenya

Ersulwen...what´s your source for that very interesting information? Just want to make sure I don´t miss anything
Ersulwen
Council Member
Posts: 18
Send Message
Avatar
Post RE: Quenya in daily use
on: September 03, 2003 06:42
I read Tolkien`s biografy by H.Carpenter...
Very nice book!
Tari_Niphredil
Council Member
Posts: 71
Send Message
Avatar
Post RE: Quenya in daily use
on: September 17, 2003 04:51
That would be awesome! "Quenya Day", I like it! The only problem would be if a collegue or peer or teacher asked you a question or started to talk to you and when you answered they would totally be lost. I can see it now...
Teacher: What is the answer to number seven?
Student: Umin ista....
Teacher: What did you say?
Student: Polin eresse quete Quenya, anin apsene.
Teacher: .......
And then another student would probably yell at him/her for not using proper grammar or something.
Arelle
Council Member
Posts: 6
Send Message
Avatar
Post RE: Quenya in daily use
on: September 19, 2003 03:51
LOL Tari, I could just see that happening. My friend has a college professor who is really into Tolkien... with my luck a debate would insue over syntax or something silly. LOL
Ersulwen
Council Member
Posts: 18
Send Message
Avatar
Post RE: Quenya in daily use
on: September 20, 2003 06:03
That would be awesome! "Quenya Day", I like it! The only problem would be if a collegue or peer or teacher asked you a question or started to talk to you and when you answered they would totally be lost. I can see it now...
Teacher: What is the answer to number seven?
Student: Umin ista....
Teacher: What did you say?
Student: Polin eresse quete Quenya, anin apsene.
Teacher: .......
And then another student would probably yell at him/her for not using proper grammar or something.


If I only had a brave to do such things!!!!!! All the teachers would kill me!!!!!
janet
Council Member
Posts: 15
Send Message
Avatar
Post RE: Quenya in daily use
on: September 22, 2003 12:14
Aiya ilquen!
I do not know if this belongs in this topic, but I will give it a try .
My friend had the plan to do something fun tomorrow. So I wanted to reply her with "that's a good idea" but of course in Qenya. But... I could not fiend the translation for 'idea', suggestion' or 'plan'. Although there was a translation for 'idea', it is not a proper one. On the one hand, there is 'intya', meaning 'guess or supposition'. On the other hand, there is 'selma', meaning 'fixed idea or will'. For it is neither intya or selma, I used the verb 'camta-'. Finally I answered her with "camtëas mára", with the prefix '-s' for 'it'. I derived it from 'camta-', meaning adapt or agree. Does it fit for the purpose or should I use something else? I already thought about adding 'ní', so it would be 'ní camtëas mára', but i do not know if that will be correct as well.
Someone any suggestions?
Tenn' enomentielva.
Tari_Niphredil
Council Member
Posts: 71
Send Message
Avatar
Post RE: Quenya in daily use
on: September 22, 2003 02:19
Janet,
This may not be right, but I thought "noa" was the word for idea.
janet
Council Member
Posts: 15
Send Message
Avatar
Post RE: Quenya in daily use
on: September 22, 2003 02:55
Hantalë Tari_Niphredil,
Noa means idea, that is correct, only more in the perception of 'getting the clue' (of something).
Someone else suggested semba, but I could not find that word in the wordlists of ardalambion. Maybe that somebody knows the translation? I thought about selma as well, but the translation of selma is 'fixed plan, will'. And I really do not think that selma fits, I had visions of 'i arano selma or something like that, the will of the king:cry:.
firefrostadept
Council Member
Posts: 4
Send Message
Avatar
Post RE: Quenya in daily use
on: August 23, 2004 06:29
Aiya!

This is rather off topic, but for practicing purposes I talk to myself in Japanese all the time. My sister is even starting to pick it up. It is a great way of practicing, and you would be supprised at how many people understand what you are saying just by your tone of voice, gestures, et cetera. In highschool we designated a "language table" at lunch. The rules were you could speak anything but English. It was great. People were speaking pig-latin, latin, Japanese, German, Spanish, and French. You woul be suppised at how many similarities there are, besides it was loads of fun.
cognoscere
Council Member
Posts: 2
Send Message
Avatar
Post RE: Quenya in daily use
on: February 01, 2007 01:41
I must thank ceocan for asking the question. A dear friend and I have been searching for a language to speak that only we could understand. Since we live in an area of great ethnic diversity this has been a difficult task. Origionally we decided upon Quenya, but were dissuaded by talk of it being an incomplete and unusable language. Our alternative is Scottish Gaelic, but it just doesn't have the same feel.

Can Quenya be used in daily conversation, or is it just fun for translating poems and names?? A more definitive answer would be greatly appreciated.
silmenuquerna
Council Member
Posts: 55
Send Message
Avatar
Post RE: Quenya in daily use
on: February 01, 2007 02:16
For daily conversations, it's very possible to hold them in Quenya. The two things you have to avoid though, is complicated verb tenses, like the conditional, subjunctive, etc., (I would do it, that sort of thing) and also avoid conversations about specific subjects (like math class, or technology, or especially anything not around in Tolkien's day). Other than those limitations, it is possible to have fairly continuous conversations without needing to come up with new words.
thorsten
Council Member
Posts: 271
Send Message
Avatar
Post RE: Quenya in daily use
on: February 01, 2007 02:59
> For daily conversations, it's very possible to hold them in Quenya.

And that would be based on what experience?

I tried with a friend (both of us have written 3000+ word stories in Quenya, poems, songs whatever) and it never really worked.

Given that we have only 1500+ words and don't even know things like 'search' or 'that' (as conjunction) with reasonable certainty, this is maybe not surprising.
silmenuquerna
Council Member
Posts: 55
Send Message
Avatar
Post RE: Quenya in daily use
on: February 01, 2007 10:08
I have listened in on a pair of acquaintances who had learned quenya together for 7 years, and also occasional written conversations with a friend. And referring to the small vocabulary, its imperative to learn conjunctions and demonstrative articles, like 'that', to converse easily. By the way, info on the demonstrative 'that' is in lesson 17, and the relative 'that' is ya for singular, i for plural, and a stem of ya- for case endings, if you need use a demonstrative 'when', possibly. For example, Nén lemba yassë málonya firnë. (I was sad *when* my friend died) Well, sorry to cut the lesson short, but I've got to go.
Lambengolmo
Council Member
Posts: 239
Send Message
Avatar
Post RE: Quenya in daily use
on: February 01, 2007 11:09
You misunderstand.

Thorsten is (I think) talking about the type of "that" that introduces a subordinate clause (eg. "It is certain that they will be here"). Some people have (based on the so called "Merin" sentence) hypothesized that it might take the form sa, but a single unverifiable attestation does not proper Quenya make.
thorsten
Council Member
Posts: 271
Send Message
Avatar
Post RE: Quenya in daily use
on: February 01, 2007 10:17
Precisely.

Nevertheless, it is refreshing to get a 'lesson' once in a while

By the way, silmenuquerna you missed out ye like in yello camnelyes 'from whom you received it' (cf. VT47:21) And lemba seems to translate 'left behind' rather than 'sad'. And 'when', incidentally, might rather be íre like in íre ilqa yéva nótina 'when all is counted' (LR:72).

I have exchanged Quenya letters with a friend, and I am rather sure that Katharina and myself are responsible for some of the longest bits of Neo-Quenya literature in existance, so it's reasonable to assume we know the tricks of the trade. Nevertheless, we did not manage a spontaneous conversation, so I am strongly inclined to say that if you try to do proper Quenya at least and do not start off with wild inventions, it is not feasible.

[Edited on 2/2/2007 by thorsten]
cognoscere
Council Member
Posts: 2
Send Message
Avatar
Post RE: Quenya in daily use
on: February 02, 2007 09:59
I don't mean to speak only Quenya. I only wish to carry on small conversations with my friend; you know, side comments and private thoughts. I think I should be able to do that.

Have you ever spoken Quenya? Speaking is most certainly different from writing as it uses a different part of the brain. If you aren't accustomed to speaking Quenya, then yes, I would imagine it would be difficult to randomly converse. All the same, I find it hard to believe that some of the best Neo-Quenya writers couldn't even carry on a simple spontaneous conversation in Quenya. *shrug* Oh well, I'll find out soon enough as I am starting the lessons today. Wish me luck!
Members Online
Print Friendly, PDF & Email