Quenya/Adjectives

Adjective Types Quenya has 3 types of adjectives depending on their final letter: Adjectives in \`C -a: `Cj1E alta "big" aY65# corna "round" j#6aD larca "swift, rapid" 7lDaD raica "bent" eD7R`C farëa "enough" Adjectives in \`V -ë: j.FaR leucë "sick" 5%v$ ninquë "white" aD65$ carnë "red" Adjectives in \5 -n; most end in \`B5 -in but some in \`V5 -en: t#7T5 marin "ripe" zDj%5 qualin "dead" qR7R5 peren "patient" Adjectives are mostly placed in front of the noun to which they belong: j#6aD 8~B7R larca sírë "a rapid river" `B 5%v$ eD5Ì# i ninquë fanya "the white cloud" It is emphasized by putting it after its noun: t#j°$ 7lDaD mallë raica "a bent (and not straight) road" With a proper noun adjectives are always put behind the noun: `Vj$2%j yY7Y2# Elendil Voronda "Elendil (the) Faithful, Faithful Elendil" Adjectives can also be used predicatively with the verb ná: `B qE6t# 5~C aD65$ i parma ná carnë "the book is red" In such short sentences 5~C ná or 5#6 nar is often omitted: `B qE6t# aD65$ i parma carnë "the book is red" Plural Adjectives have only one plural form; it is used whenever the noun it belongs to is not singular (so dual, plural and partitive plural make no difference for the adjective): aD65% qE6t#6 carni parmar "red books" aD65% qE6t#1 carni parmat "a pair of red books" aD65% qE6t#j% carni parmali "some red books" Predicatively used adjectives are in the plural whenever the subject refers to more than one person or thing: `B aG7ÎE6 5#6 5%v% i ciryar nar ninqui "the ships are white" `B `C7E5 `C6 `B 1~C7T 5#6 `Cj1R i aran ar i tári nar altë "the king and queen are big" 'Formation of the plural': Adjectives in \`C -a but not in \`V`C -ëa: `Cj1E alta → `Cj1R altë "big" aY65# corna → aY65$ cornë "round" 7lDaD raica → 7lDaR raicë "bent" Adjectives in \`V`C -ëa: eD7R`C farëa → eD7T`V farië "enough" j.D7R`C laurëa → j.D7T`V laurië "golden" Adjectives in \`V -ë: j.FaR leucë → j.FaG leuci "sick" 5%v$ ninquë → 5%v% ninqui "white" Adjectives in \5 -n have two possible forms: t#7T5 marin → t#7T5% - t#7T2% marini/marindi "ripe" zDj%5 qualin → zDj%5% - zDj%2% qualini/qualindi "dead" qR7R5 peren → qR7R5% - qR7R2% pereni/perendi "patient" One adjective is irregular: tlD1R maitë → tlDiG maisi "handy" Inflected adjectives In Quenya there are only 2 occurrences in which the adjectives are inflected: When the adjective is used as a noun When the adjective immediately follows its noun In all other places an adjective only has 2 forms: singular and plural (see above). Examples and paradigms can be found on a separate page: ../Inflected adjectives/. Comparative Quenya uses two different comparatives: relative and absolute. Relative Comparison When we use an adjective in a relative comparison, it is preceded by j~C lá but its form doesn’t change: `N7Yt$ 5~C 9Cj°# j~C t#2^8 Oromë ná halla lá Mandos "Orome is taller than Mandos" `C5#6 5~C aDj%t# j~C `BiGj Anar ná calima lá Isil "The sun is brighter than the moon" Note: j~C lá is also used to negate a verb, so it can appear with both meanings in one sentence: j~C aD7Tj´$8 tlDaD j~C t#aGj$7ÎE lá carilyes maica lá macilerya "you don't make it sharper than your sword" If one is unsure of the meaning of which j~C lá is being used, simply identify the following word to determine the meaning: j~C lá followed by a "noun" = Relative Comparison. j~C lá followed by a "verb" = Verb Negation. Absolute Comparison If on the other hand the comparison is used absolutively, we have a special ending \m# –lda: `N7Yt$ 5~C 9Cj°#m# Oromë ná hallalda "Orome is longer" So these comparatives are always adjectives on \`C –a and follow the rules of these adjectives: jlDzDm$ qRj$7T laiqualdë peleri "greener fields" To apply the ending to adjectives on \`V –ë we use their I-stem: 5%v$ ninquë "white" → 5%v%m# ninquilda and adjectives on \`B5 - \`V5 –in/-en get the ending \`Bm# –ilda: t$j%5 melin "dear" → t$j%5%m# melinilda Finally, a few are irregular: t~C7E - t#5$ mára/manë "good" → t#m# malda "better" yE5Ì# vanya "beautiful, fair" → yEm# valda "more beautiful, fairer" `MjaD ulca "bad" → `Mm# ulda "worse" elDaD faica "bad" → eRm# felda "worse" j%w# limba "many" → j%m# lilda "more" `Nj´# olya "much" → `Nm# olda "more" and the diminutive: t#f# manca "few" → t%1E+ mitsa "less" Superlative The superlative is formed by applying the prefix `C5\ an- to the adjective: aDj%t# calima "clear" → `Cf#j%t# ancalima "clearest" yT5Ì# vinya "new" → `C5yT5Ì# anvinya "newest" This prefix cannot be applied to every adjective as otherwise unallowed consonant clusters could appear (see ../Phonology/). It can be prefixed to adjectives beginning in: a vowel, c-, n-, qu-, t-, v-, w-, y-. some other consonants can get the prefix `C5#\ ana-: `Cj1E alta "big" → `C5#j1E analta "biggest" 5%2$ nindë "fragile" → `C5:%2$ annindë "most fragile" zD4# quanta "full" → `Cv#4# anquanta "fullest" nTjnE wilwa "vague" → `C5nTjnE anwilwa "vaguest" hÍRjnE yelwa "loathsome" → `C5Ì$jnE anyelwa "most loathsome" eU7T5 furin "hidden" → `C5#eU7T5 anafurin "most hidden" 9Cj°# halla "long" → `C5#dEj°# anahalla "longest" When an adjective begins in q\ p- the prefix becomes `Ct\ am-: qT1ÎE pitya "small, little" → `Cr%1ÎE ampitya "smallest" Before l-, m-, r-, s- the n of an- assimilates into the following consonant to make it a double consonant: jlDaD lauca "warm" → `Cj°lDaD allauca "warmest" 7Ts# ringa "cold" → `C7;Ts# arringa "coldest" iDuE sarda "hard" → `C,DuE assarda "hardest" t#7T5 marin "ripe" → `C5:#7T5 ammarin "ripest" But when we look at the historical development of Quenya, a large group of adjectives must have 'historical' irregularities, e.g. yE5Ì# vanya "beautiful" → `Cw#5Ì# ambanya "most beautiful" We will look at these on a separate page: historical superlatives. >> Neo-Quenya >> ../Adjectives/