Thursday, April 29, 2010

Blue, in my words (revised)

cealu : blue

The Illunse word for the color blue is cealu. Cealu is possibly a rare last name.

This word is a mixture of the Old English word for blue which can be bleó (bleó also means color, appearance, form) or the Middle English word for blue blewe, and the Latin word for blue caeruleus.

My previous word for blue was berl. After much thought, I decided to change this word.

Here's a link to Blue, in J.R.R. Tolkien's words.

Tuesday, April 27, 2010

Sky, in J.R.R. Tolkien's words

The Quenya words for sky are ilwë (sky, heavens), menel (sky, the heavens, the firmament; the apparent dome in the sky), and vilya (air, sky).

The Sindarin words for sky is menel (sky, high heaven, firmament, the region of the stars).

Sunday, April 25, 2010

Rain, in my words (revised)

revia : rain

The Illunse word for rain is revia. Revia is an unusual last name. Revia can be a variation of the feminine first name Reva. Revia is a brand-name presciption drug. In Sindarin revia- is a (possibly obsolete) verb meaning to fly, sail; to wander. Revia is the name of a town in Mozambique.

This word is a mixture of the Old English word for rain which is regn and the Latin word for rain which is pluvia (rain, shower).

My previous word for rain was rewia. A minor change. In that word I transliterated the V in the Latin word to W. I decided I'd rather keep the V instead.

Here's a link to Rain, in J.R.R. Tolkien's words.

Saturday, April 24, 2010

Markirya fourth stanza, words in Quenya

Contining with The Markirya poem, this is stanza four of five. This poem is an important piece of the Quenya language.

Here is the fourth stanza of Tolkien's Markirya Poem in Quenya:
Man cenuva lumbor ahosta
Menel acúna
ruxal' ambonnar,
ëar amortala,
undumë hácala,
enwina lúmë
elenillor pella
talta-taltala
atalantië mindonnar?
Here's Tolkien's translation of the fourth stanza:
Who shall see the clouds gather,
the heavens bending
upon crumbling hills,
the sea heaving,
the abyss yawning,
the old darkness
beyond the stars
falling
upon fallen towers?
Notice that the first line includes the Quenya word for clouds, specifically dark clouds. Yesterday's post featured Tolkien's words for cloud.

Friday, April 23, 2010

Cloud, in J.R.R. Tolkien's words

The Quenya words for cloud are fanya (cloud; white cloud) and lumbo (dark cloud).

The Sindarin words for cloud are faun (cloud) and fân (veil; cloud (applied to clouds floating as veils over the blue sky or the sun or moon or resting on hills)).

Thursday, April 22, 2010

Cloud, in my words

nulce : cloud

The Illunse word for cloud is nulce. Nulce is an unusual last name.

This word is a mixture of the Latin word for cloud which is nubes (a cloud, mist, vapor), and the Old English word for cloud which is wolcen (a cloud; ball, lump; sky, heavens).

There's another Old English word for cloud, wederwolcen, which according to the big Bosworth-Toller Anglo-Saxon Dictionary means a fine weather cloud. The first half of that word, weder, means weather.

Wednesday, April 21, 2010

Wind, in J.R.R. Tolkien's words

The Quenya words for wind are súrë and vaiwa.

The Sindarin words for wind are gwaew and sûl.

Tuesday, April 20, 2010

Wind, in my words

wend : wind

The Illunse word for wind is wend. In English wend means to direct one's course or way. Wend is a last name. Wend is an unusual masculine first name. Wend may be a nickname for Wendy.

This word is a mixture of the Old English word for wind which is wind (same as Modern English), and the Latin word for wind which is ventus.

It may seem that this word is not much of a mix, a lazy choice on my part. But I considered and rejected using similar words such as went, vend, wint, and vint. And I didn't want to make this word an unintelligible mix such as nidevu.

Sunday, April 18, 2010

Yellow, in my words (revised)

faego : yellow

The Illunse word for the color yellow is faego. Faego is an unusual word, it's sometimes a misspelling of Fargo.

This word is a mixture of the Old English word for yellow which is geolu (or geolo), and the Latin word for yellow flavus (gold colored, yellow).

I know that I just revised yellow last week. Sorry, but I've changed my mind again. My previous word for yellow was feolu.

Here's a link to Yellow, in J.R.R. Tolkien's words.

That's enough with colors.

Saturday, April 17, 2010

Markirya third stanza, words in Quenya

Contining with The Markirya poem, this is stanza three of five. This poem is an important piece of the Quenya language.

Here is the third stanza of Tolkien's Markirya Poem in Quenya:
Man hlaruva rávëa súrë
ve tauri lillassië,
ninqui carcar yarra
isilmë ilcalassë,
isilmë pícalassë,
isilmë lantalassë
ve loicolícuma;
raumo nurrua,
undumë rúma?
Here's Tolkien's translation of the third stanza:
Who shall hear the wind roaring
like leaves of forests;
the white rocks snarling
in the moon gleaming,
in the moon waning,
in the moon falling
a corpse-candle;
the storm mumbling,
the abyss moving?

Friday, April 16, 2010

Gloomy black, in my words

trase : gloomy black

The Illunse word for the color gloomy black is trase. Trase is a last name. In Albanian trase means track. In Creole trase means trace, sketch. In Croatian trase means route. In Latvian means circuit or track.

Trase does not replace my previous word for black, nelc. This is another, a second word, for black. Both Old English and Latin have two separate words for black. I wouldn't have thought to make this up!

This word for gloomy black is a mixture of the Latin word for black (black, dark; coal-black; gloomy; malicious) which is ater, and the Old English word for black (swarthy, black, dark; gloomy; evil) which is sweart.

By the way, my other word for black is a mixture of the Latin word niger and the Old English word blæc.

Gloomy black is a more sinister color than mere black.

An 19th century Latin synonym dictionary I found on the web described the difference between the two Latin words like this: niger is the darkest color and makes a positive, imposing and beautiful impression; ater is a negation of color and makes a dismal and dark impression.

Thursday, April 15, 2010

Violet, in my words

hacwin : violet

The Illunse word for the color violet is hacwin.

This word is a mixture of the Latin word for violet (or a purplish blue) which is hyacinthinus and the Old English word for a dark color which can be violet hǽwen (blue, azure, purple), which I transliterate to haewen.

It's perhaps a bit of a stretch to construct this word for violet. The Latin and Old English words that I'm using are not all that common.

I didn't use the Latin word purpura, which is like our word purple, because that word is for Tyrian purple - also known as royal purple or imperial purple - which is actually more of a dark red or maroon color.

I didn't find any words for the color violet in Sindarin or Quenya.

Wednesday, April 14, 2010

Gray, in my words (revised)

gaur : gray

The Illunse word for gray (grey) is gaur. The Gaur is a large, dark-coated, bovine animal of South Asia and Southeast Asia. Gaur is last name. In Basque gaur means today. In Sindarin gaur means werewolf. Gaur is the name of cities in Nepal, India and Malaysia.

This word is a mixture of the Latin word for gray which is glaucus (bluish gray) and the Old English word for gray which is græg.

I'm changing this word because I found a more appropriate Latin word for gray. Earlier I used the Latin word canus, which means gray but primarily for gray hair, and hence also means aged and hoary. My previous Illunse word for gray was ceag.

It's somewhat confounding for me to find definitive color words in Latin. Not because there are too few words for colors, but rather too many. There are words for a wide assortment of shades and hues.

Here's a link to Gray, in J.R.R. Tolkien's words

Sunday, April 11, 2010

Husband, in my words (revised)

marond : husband

The Illunse word for husband is marond. Marond is an unusual last name. Marond is a rare first name.

This word is a mixture of the Latin word for husband which is maritus (matrimonial; husband, married man; lover; mate), and the Old English word for husband which is bónda (a husband, a householder, master of a family).

I'm changing this word because I found a more appropriate Old English word for husband. Earlier I used the Old Engish word ceorl (freeman; man, hero; a (married) man, husband; peasant, rustic). My previous Illunse word for husband was mearl, which was sort of an odd word. I like my new word better.

Here's a link to Husband, in J.R.R. Tolkien's words.

Saturday, April 10, 2010

Markirya second stanza, words in Quenya

This Saturday, I'll continue sharing with you all The Markirya poem. This is stanza two of five. This poem is an important piece of the Quenya language.

Here is the second stanza of Tolkien's Markirya Poem in Quenya:
Man tiruva fána cirya,
wilwarin wilwa,
ëar-celumessen
rámainen elvië
ëar falastala,
winga hlápula
rámar sisílala,
cálë fifírula?
Here's Tolkien's translation of the second stanza:
Who shall heed a white ship,
vague as a butterfly,
in the flowing sea
on wings like stars,
the sea surging,
the foam blowing,
the wings shining,
the light fading?

Thursday, April 08, 2010

Red, in my words (revised)

raeb : red

The Illunse word for the color red is raeb. Raeb is an unsual last name. RAEB is an acronym for a type of bone marrow disease (an unfortunate meaning).

This word is a mixture of the Latin word for red which is ruber and the Old English word for red which is réad.

My previous word for red was reud, before that it was rued. Since I decided to end my word for green in a D, I decided to change this word so that it wouldn't end in D. Besides, I wasn't sure I actually liked the word reud for red.

Here's a link to Red, in Tolkien's words.

Tuesday, April 06, 2010

Hundred, in my words (revised)

hucent : hundred

The Illunse word for hundred (100) is hucent. Hucent is a rare last name. Hucent Technology Co., Ltd of Taiwan.

This word is a mixture of the Latin word for hundred which is centum, and the Old English word for hundred which is hundred (same as Modern English) or hundtéontig (ten decades?).

My previous Illunse word for hundred was cethund, before that it was hentund. I decided to start this word with H because no other Illunse numbers start with H.

There are no Quenya or Sindarin numbers for hundred. Tolkien didn't have his elves count numbers above twenty.

Monday, April 05, 2010

Spring, in my words (revised)

verenc : spring

The Illunse word for spring (season) is verenc. Similar word Ferenc is a masculine first name, the Hungarian equivalent of Francis.

This word is a mixture of the Latin word for spring which is ver and the Old English word for spring which is lencten (the fast of Lent).

My previous Illunse word for spring was ferent. I'm modifying this word because I defined my Illunse word for strong (forant) to be too similar to it. Also, when revising, I decided to keep the V from the Latin word, and not transform it into a F. Old English doesn't use V.

Here's a link to Spring, in J.R.R. Tolkien's words.

Sunday, April 04, 2010

Egg, in my words

oeg : egg

The Illunse word for egg is oeg. Oeg is a rare last name that can be German in origin. The Old English Game (OEG) is a breed of chicken.

The French word for egg is oeuf, which is somewhat similar.

This word is a mixture of the Old English word for egg which is ǽg (which I transliterate to aeg), and the Latin word for egg which is ovum.

The odd OE vowel combination exists in Latin, and it's pronounced like OI.

For Easter, a word for egg. Easter eggs make me smile. There are no Quenya or Sindarin words for egg, so next up more revisions.

Saturday, April 03, 2010

Markirya first stanza, words in Quenya

The Markirya poem is the longest text in "mature" Quenya. Christopher Tolkien described the poem as "one of the major pieces of Quenya". It has five stanzas. The poem is an important source for Quenya language grammar.

Here is the first stanza of Tolkien's Markirya Poem in Quenya:
Men cenuva fánë cirya
métima hrestallo círa,
i fairi nécë
ringa súmaryassë
ve maiwi yaimië?
Here's Tolkien's translation of the first stanza:
Who shall see a white ship
leave the last shore,
the pale phantoms
in her cold bosom
like gulls wailing?
Lovely, isn't it?

Friday, April 02, 2010

Green, my words (revised)

geird : green

The Illunse word for the color green is geird. Geird is an unusual last name. Geird is a rare first name, similar Geirdis is an Icelandic feminine first name.

This word is a mixture of the Old English word for green which is gréne, and the Latin word for green viridis.

OK, I'm changing my word for green again. I think this new word, geird, is a better alphabetic mix of Old English and Latin.

Here's a link to Green, in J.R.R. Tolkien's words.

Thursday, April 01, 2010

Table, in my words (revised)

emba : table

The Illunse word for table is emba. Emba is an unusual last name. Emba is the name of a village in Cyprus. The Emba River in Kazakhstan.

This word is a mixture of the Latin word for table which is mensa (table; course, meal; banker's counter), and the Old English word for table which is béod (table; bowl, dish).

My previous Illunse word for table was meba. That word, in my opinion, just didn't work. I shifted the letters around to make my new word.

Last month's word topic was adjectives. This month, I didn't decide what in particular to do. So, I guess I'll start off with some word revisions.