You (plural), in my words

ves : you (pronoun)

The Illunse word for you (personal pronoun, 2nd person plural, nominative case) is ves. Ves is an uncommon last name. In Czech ves means village. Ves is the name of cities in India and the Czech Republic.

This word is a mixture of the Latin word for you (plural) which is vos, and the Old English word for you (plural) which is gé.

In many Old English words g later became y, which should help in recognizing that gé is a precursor to ye.

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

In Quenya the word for we is emmë and the corresponding pronominal ending -mmë, or elmë and the corresponding pronominal ending -lmmë, or the pronominal ending -lvë. Tolkien had different words for we depending if it included you (the person or persons spoken to) or not. Apparently in grammar this is called inclusive and exclusive we, something I learned. The last suffix may be for we when it means you (singular) and I. Tolkien also changed his mind about these pronouns for we. Pronouns are a less certain area in Quenya.

I didn't find a Sindarin word for we.

We, in my words

wos : we (pronoun)

The Illunse word for we (personal pronoun, 1st person plural, nominative case) is wos. Wos is a last name. In Old English wós means sap, juice. Wos is the name of a town in Indonesia.

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

Sorry I didn't do a post for Saturday this week, the day when I usually post miscellaneous stuff. Things were busy around here.

Rings, in my words

angas : rings

The Illunse word for rings is angas. Angas is a last name. In Tagalog angas means arrogant, proud. Angas (or Ngas) is a language of Nigeria. Angas is the name of cities in the Philippines, Peru and Ecuador.

Rings in Latin is anuli. Rings in Old English is hringas.

I wanted to know what the word for rings would be in Illunse, so I decided to construct the nominative plural. This word follows the Old English plural.

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

In Quenya the word for ring is corma. This word is only attested in compound forms, such as cormacolindo which means Ring-bearer.

I didn't find a Sindarin word for ring.

You would think that Tolkien would have words for ring, what with his books The Lord of the Rings!

Ring, in my words

ang : ring

The Illunse word for ring is ang. Ang is a last name. In Frisian ang means sheen, brilliance. In Sindarin ang means iron. In Tagalog ang means the. ANG is the ISO 639-3 code for Old English. Ang is the name of towns in Sweden and Cambodia.

This word is a mixture of the Latin word for ring which is anulus, and the Old English word for ring which is hring.

I know that this word is short, only three letters, but I preferred it to other Latin and Old English letter mixes. If I chose to, I can change it later.

Bright Star, a movie review

This week I saw the movie Bright Star. It's a romance telling the story of the renowned English poet John Keats and Fanny Brawne, a couple who cared deeply for each other but fate ultimately kept apart. The setting was England about 1820. It features period costumes and, of course, poetry. The movie stars Ben Whishaw as John Keats and Abbie Cornish as Fanny Brawne, with Paul Schneider as Charles Armitage Brown.

Bright Star was released in 2009, and it played several art film theaters around town. I wanted to see it then, as I admire Keats' poetry, but didn't. I borrowed the DVD from the public library, after being on a lengthy waitlist, and I'm glad I did. The love story was touching, emotional, and a bit unconventional. The ending was quite sad, but I knew that going in. I would recommend Bright Star, it's a well-made, interesting to see, movie.

Fields, in my words

falga : fields

The Illunse word for fields is falga. The word for field is falg. Falga is the name of a small city in France and a town in Chad.

Fields in Latin is agri. Fields in Old English is felda.

Hill, in my words (revised) + hills

holl : hill

The Illunse word for hill is holl. Holl is a last name. In Breton holl means all, totally. In Welsh holl means whole, all. Holl is the name of cities in Germany and Czech Republic. Holl is the name of towns in Iceland.

This word is a mixture of the Latin word for hill which is collis and the Old English word for hill which is hyll.

My previous word for hill was cyll. I liked the spelling of that word but I didn't like that the pronunciation would be similar to kill. Holl is very nearly hill, but that's OK.

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

hollas : hills

The Illunse word for hills is hollas. Hollas is a last name.

This is a plural, in the nominative case. I formed this plural by adding a suffix of -as, but don't take that as a rule for plurals in Illunse because it isn't.

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

In Quenya the word ta can mean it (that). The word se is the 3rd person singular pronouns he, she and it (living things) and also him, her, and it. The corresponding word for it (inaimate things) is sa. The pronominal ending -s means he/him, she/her, it.

The Sindarin word for it is ha (hana).

Pronouns are a somewhat fuzzy area for both Quenya and Sindarin. Although I found these words in dictionaries that I trust, pronouns are a poorly attested feature of these elven languages.

Although pronouns are important grammatically, I'd rather do something else, as far as words go. I'll return to pronouns again later.

It, in my words

hid : it (pronoun)

The Illunse word for it (personal pronoun, 3rd person singular, nominative case) is hid. Hid is a last name. In English hid is the simple past of hide. In Danish hid means here. Hid is the name of a city in Pakistan.

This word is a mixture of the Latin word for it which is id, and the Old English word for it which is hít.

As far as word mixtures, I chose hid instead of dit. I thought it would be nice to have all the 3rd person singular nominative pronouns start with H, as in Old English.

A proverb, words in Latin

Time for another Latin proverb. I haven't done one of these for a while.

Latin proverb : Aliquando et insanire jucundum est

English translation : "It is fun to do something foolish every now and then"

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

In Quenya the word se is the 3rd person singular pronouns he, she and it (living things) and also him, her, and it. The pronominal ending -s means he/him, she/her, it.

The Sindarin word for she is he (hen, hene). By the way, the Sindarin word he is apparently pronounced not as hee but as heh.

She, in my words

hea : she (pronoun)

The Illunse word for she (personal pronoun, 3rd person singular, nominative case) is hea. Hea is a last name. In Estonian hea means good. HEA is shorthand slang term for Happily Ever After.

This word is a mixture of the Latin word for she which is ea, and the Old English word for she which is héo.

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

In Quenya he (3rd person singular pronoun) is the pronominal ending -ro. The word se is the 3rd person singular pronouns he, she and it (living things) and also him, her, and it. The pronominal ending -s means he/him, she/her, it.

The Sindarin word for he is ho (hon, hono).

He, in my words

hei : he (pronoun)

The Illunse word for he (personal pronoun, 3rd person singular, nominative case) is hei. Hei is a last name. In Finnish and Norwegian hei means hi (interjection). Hei is the name of cities in the Netherlands, North Korea, Belgium, Indonesia and South Korea.

This word is a mixture of the Latin word for he which is is, and the Old English word for he which is hé (masculine pronoun).

I considered making my word hie, but híe means they in Old English, it's another pronoun.

You (singular), in J.R.R. Tolkien's words

In Quenya you (thou, thee, you; formal/polite 2nd person singular) is lye or elyë or the pronominal ending -lyë.

In Quenya you (you, thou, thee; intimate/familar 2nd person singular) is tye or the pronominal ending -tyë.

This word got me into some Quenya grammar. I know about formal and informal versions of you, from Spanish. But pronominal suffixes?!?

I didn't find a Sindarin word for you or thou.

You (singular), in my words

thu : you (pronoun)

The Illunse word for you (personal pronoun, 2nd person singular, nominative case) is thu. In Etruscan thu means one. In Scottish Gaelic thu means you (singular informal). In Vietnamese thu means autumn. Thu is an abbreviation for Thursday. Thû is an early name for Sauron in J.R.R. Tolkien's Middle-earth legendarium.

This word is a mixture of the Latin word for you (singular) which is tu, and the Old English word for you (singular) which is þu which I transliterate to thu.

My Illunse word is basically the same as the Old English word, I just don't use the letter thorn (þ) to spell it. It's interesting that this word means you in Scottish Gaelic. Perhaps that confirms that my word choice was a good one. Not that I had many word mix choices, the Latin and Old English words are so similar.

More song lyrics from The Only Ones

Two weeks ago I posted some lyrics from the song "From Here to Eternity" by The Only Ones. Here are some more lyrics from the same song. These words start the song, they are the first verse, and they precede the lyrics which I posted earlier.

I see a woman with death in her eyes
But I don't have the time to pray
For her salvation or for her soul
She walks her chosen way
But in the darkness and in the light
I have found some hope
Of me getting out from this underground
I can't wait to get back home, back home

I haven't done any writing yet, if you're curious. I've had a busy week.

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

The Quenya word for I (1st person singular pronoun) is ni.

The Sindarin word for I (1st person singular pronoun) is im.

I, in my words

ico : I (pronoun)

The Illunse word for I (personal pronoun, 1st person singular, nominative case) is ico. Ico is a last name. Ico is a PlayStation 2 action-adventure game. Ico is an unusual first name that can be masculine or feminine. Ico is the name of a city in Angola.

This word is a mixture of the Latin word for I which is ego, and the Old English word for I which is ic.

This month I'll be defining some pronouns, which will get me involved with grammar.