About Elvish (what else?)

[Wilwarin]

I have been wondering a few things, so I thought I would start a poll. I made it multiple choice, so check all that apply to you. Then you can add further comments here afterwards.

Oh, and if you think of other questions that should be in this poll then say so, because I can add more.

[Mirkgirl]

For the record, I voted 'I am not learning either, but I still like Elvish'... I'm confused enough with using English here, Bulgarian in the real world and studying German on top of it... anyway languages have never been my passion so probably even without this I wouldn't be studying any, but that doesn't mean I can't admire the language(s).

[Cuiel Rilwen]

I've been studying Quenya since october, I'm at lesson 11. Kinda getting stuck, cuz it's getting really dificoult and timeconsuming...so my progress is that of a snail these days! Still love it, the laguage, the sounds, the mere idea of it! Sindarin would be natural to follow, but sadly I don't see that happening in the near future. I would like to learn about the tengwar as well...think I'll visite that clonefactory!:grin:

[Mocha]

I'm going to start learing Elvish as soon as the Summer Vacation starts, I'm having a hellish time with my last three months of school...can't believe that I'm going to college this soon!

[Isiltári]

Cool poll, Wil. :thumbs:

[Wilwarin]

Thanks, Isil.

I've been learning Sindarin since FotR came out in theaters, so this would be what?......my second year? Yeah. I tried taking that Quenya course, but man is that thing hard! I have dicovered that Quenya is a lot harder to pronounce than Sindarin (at least for me). I also noticed that it's similar to Old English in a way (I've been learning that as well).

Speeking of which, there should be a thread here for Old English. I know Tolkien didn't make it up, but it IS used in the books...........on second thought........I'm probably the only one who would post in it! lol

[Cuiel Rilwen]

Is old english very different from modern english? Old norwegian is more like islandic, but then again most of the people on Island origin to the people who fled from Norway during the christening a 1000 years ago! I guess my native language is part of the reason why I find Quenya rather easy to speak, the vowels are the same and up here we rrrrole the r's like we were born elves! The grammar is enormously difficoult though, nowegian has only two cases! I've learned german, which has 4, but this is challenging to my through many years unused brain! I have to translate the lessons, in the briefest possible way not to miss anything, in norwegian, in order to reread them effectively. The lessons I have ahead are extremly timeconsuming, so going through one lesson takes a while! Poor Silmo is waiting for me to post another sentence in the story!:grin:

[Elleth]

I am just starting to learn Sindarin, but it's hard to find any time to practice, with school work and all. I'm not making much progress...

[Lyrkalas]

Here is a link my husband just sent from a satirical newspaper called The Onion. It's absolutely hilarious!
http://www.theonion.com/onion3913/dont_come_crying.html

So what did I do? I replied to my husband's e-mail in Elvish with no translation. Hee hee. He's the one who'd tried to get me to read LOTR for eight years and now he calls me a geek!

[Cuiel Rilwen]

roflmao lol oh thats just priceless! I would have loved to see that e- mail...and your hobbies face when he opened it!:elfeek: pfbbt At least I'm not getting any of those at home. Even if my husband is completely ignorant of the stuff, my children both love the idea of their mother speaking elvish!

[Lyrkalas]

I haven't talked to him yet, but I know I'm going to hear it at home. "Honey, you are such a DORK!"

[Cuiel Rilwen]

Oh the sweet insanity...!:p

[Wilwarin]

That's pretty funny, Lyrkalas.

To answer your question Cuiel: No, Old English is very different! Well, a lot of the words are similar, or even exactly the same. But the pronunciation is dreadful, and the grammar is very hard compared with New English (it's more like German really). But I still find it very interesting. And I thought it would be fun to learn the language that Tolkien was a professor of. It's also what the people of Rohan spoke, so it's cool in two ways!

[Isiltári]

lol lol lol

[Cuiel Rilwen]

really:o the Rohans spoke old english?!! I didn't know that! How cool is that!:cool: Do you mean that english origins to german...cuz I thought not...show s what I know really!

[Wilwarin]

Looks like we need to start an Old English thread! lol

[Tar-Ancalimë]

hey... I'm coming kind of late, here, aren't I? lol ...i've been kind of lurking lately...

well I have been learning elvish ...very... slowly. I started when I joined this place- do you remember I came asking who could give me the words of what they said in the movie? and from there I expanded slowly... the fact that I have no one to talk to in elvish irl has slowed me significantly... also I have been busier than I'd like... but i AM learning elvish, and now I'm the one everyone always comes to to ask about elvish irl... of course I can't answer half their questions but its still fun!!

[Melian]

I started learning Sindarin by learning the lines to the movie listed in www.elvish.org. I tried to wade through all of the information at the various sindaring sites, but it was too much information to absorb. I am slowly adding to my vocabulary through this site and others. It has been very helpful. I too, don't have anyone to talk Elvish to, but I usually practice when I am driving to work. People probably think I'm talking to myself.lol

[Cuiel Rilwen]

...well, aren't you?lol roflmao Really the most sensible thing to do, at least you get good answeres!

[Wilwarin]

Hey there Tar! Nice to see you've stepped out from......where ever it is you went off to. lol (This is probably just a cameo appearance though huh?) Yeah, I do remember you from the early days. Boy, those were the days, weren't they? Back when the Language Forum was busy,and everyone asked really good questions. It's kind of slowed down a bit these days. Oh well! Come December it sould pick up again, right? :)

[coin]

Here is a sample of Old English - From Beowulf...

Hwæt! We Gardena in geardagum,
þeodcyninga, þrym gefrunon,
hu ða æþelingas ellen fremedon.
Oft Scyld Scefing sceaþena þreatum,
monegum mægþum, meodosetla ofteah,
egsode eorlas. Syððan ærest wearð
feasceaft funden, he þæs frofre gebad,
weox under wolcnum, weorðmyndum þah,
oðþæt him æghwylc þara ymbsittendra

[coin]

As you can see, fairly different from english today

btw, the "þ" is pronounced a little like "th" in modern english
The dipthongs are fairly difficult but intuition will give you a fairly good sound

P.S. Anyone read sir Gawain and the Green Knyght [ed] JRR Tolkien - It's pretty good - Middle english so fairly easier to understand, but quite poetic. (Best to get it in original middle english) ISBN: 0198114869

-or you can read it here:

http://eir.library.utoronto.ca/rpo/display/poem62.html

[Cuiel Rilwen]

Coin you darling you! I've been looking for this, thanx a bunch!:cool:

[Celebrían]

Well, I voted for options "currently learning Sindarin and Quenya"...I started reading the first Quenya lesson, and sheesh! It's tough stuff (I'm beginning to wonder if I would find Sindarin easier)...I'm determined to do it though, and I've been memorizing Sindarin quite a bit, so there...that's what I've been doing...does that count? :grin: lol

[Cuiel Rilwen]

Sure it does...Quenya IS tough, demands my full attention while learning...but so much fun to do...and the people and stories come alive in a whole different way...all of the names, the places...it's just great!:cool: Hope to learn Sindarin one day as well!

[Wilwarin]

Hey coin, do you know much Old English? I've been trying to learn it for the last.......oh I don't know......long time. It's kind of hard! lol Hey, if there's enough people here who know, or are learning Old English it would be cool to start a thread for it. I happen to know that there are other people on this forum who know it too. I think it may be better tahn turning this thread into a topic on Old English.

Hey and thanks for that link! I've been meaning to read that story for a while now. I just never got around to buying it.

[Lemnas]

That sounds like an awesome idea Wil! While I know very little, starting a thread might boost my energy to continue learning :)