Where is all this Elvish comin' from?
 

I'd like to know where everyone is getting all the Elvish phrases. Where can you find a English-to-Quenya or English-to-Sindarin translator? Thank you very much... [img]smilies/biggrin.gif[/img]

I don't know if there is one, but Tolkien did fully create both Sindarin and Quenya. There are lessons online, so I think the people who use the phrases (I'm not good at languages) know the languages.

Most of the elvish i know is just stuff i picked up from

a) the soundtrack
b) the books
c) this site

You can take verses from songs and poems in the books that are elvish. Like the Elbereth Gilthoniel, silivren penna miriel one, or Galadriel's lament. If you want to actually learn elvish, you could try the Languages forum. They might have something there.
And... oh... *digging through her website memory banks* I know there's a Sindarin dictionary that I found that has a lot of words...
Aha!Hereit is!!

Here is a great Elven Dictionary. It has both single words and phrases.Grey Company Sindarin Dictionary

i found a Sindarin translator thingee thats good for names and stuff:
Dictionary

I think that's the same one Ithaeliel posted.

i dunno, i just posted the link *shrugs* o well.

The grey Elven dictionary isn't Tolkien's Elvish, it's based on his languages, but it's not actually Sindarin or Quenya. If you really want to learn Tolkien's Elvish, I suggest Ardalambion. It even has a course for you to take.

There are lots of in-depth lessons in the internet. Mostly Quenya, cause this was the elvish language Tolkien fully developed. But some of the grammar is quite tough...

I looked a few months ago and was suprised ast how many sites I found on yahoo

"Tolkien did fully create both Sindarin and Quenya."

This is a bit misleading. He did create all that we know from the books and such, but he didn't fully develop it - the vocabulary is very incomplete.

Beware of the sites online - don't take them all seriously and claim to know how to say something in Elvish unless you're sure it's from Tolkien. Often the sites given here make up additional words, some with a valid reason, others not so valid. If you find a word not contained in the books, you might want to e-mail the site's webmaster and see how they arrived at that word and its meaning.

Cheers.

Thanx alot everybody. That helped. Uh, Losthuniel, the link WAS the same as Ithaeliel's. Oh well.

Later!

learn it here.

Quenya course

yes, u should make sure itz Tolkien's RElvish. One person might say one word for somethin in Quenya, and someone else might say the same word with different Elvish, still in Quenya. Make sure u find out who has the right one.

hi! id like to learn elvish as well! all i can speak at the mo is ardunoth! [img]smilies/smile.gif[/img] i once searched 'elves' on the web and found an elvish dictionary.
myst

Ardalambion is the only site I recommend to people, but you really need to read it before just using words from their lexicon.

As for other sites, I don't know much about them, but I do know that several just make words up. Elvish would probably be very entertaining to learn, but only if it is true Tolkien-Elvish, so far as this site is concerned.

Don't use any of the Grey Company Elvish, because they made that up to use in an RPG. Most of it isn't accurate Tolkien-Elvish, so don't even consider the site.

There are plenty of great translators out there. Sindarin, Quenya, Rohirric even, some Dwarvish, etc. Beware of false translators, like the one Grey Company Dictionary. At lest 25% of that is made up. There are also plenty of online and offline courses, if you want to do more than just translate words.

Fellowship of the Wordsmiths can be helpful for figuring out exactly what is being said in the movies. Also, sometime later this year, I don't know when, the guy who did all the language work for the movies, David Salo, is coming out with a book called A Gateway to Sindarin Elvish. When that comes out, it should be quite interesting.

<font size=1 color=339966>[ 11:14 PM February 06, 2004: Message edited by: Orominuialwen ]

Try a search on Amazon.com. My sister has been able to obtain two books regarding Tolkien's Elvish, as well as the other languages, but they are extremely detailed and scientific. (The eptographical cumbobulations of the circumflex are found to be disproportionate to the combonugraphical eptobulations of flexcumcrul!) I shall attempt to find the specific titles for you next time around, since The Complete Guide to Elvish lands you in a lot of Magic: The Gathering crud.

Just listen to the elves....
 

I don't know many translators but I went to a local lotr fanclub meeting and we learned elvish there but I don't know it very well and I don't know where they got it from, but it was cool to learn it. If you have the special extended version of the dvd I think it says something in the special features or the commentry about all of this. Maybe it would be better to watch the movies a couple more times and see if you can pick up anything that Galadriel/arwen/legolas/elrond/celeborn says. It has the translations at the bottom of the screen! :D

Not Grelvish! Stupid Grey Company, infilterating our minds with their lies! *pouts* I guess it's only fair that they share part of their name with the Grey Archive. Poetic justice at it's best.

Council of Elrond also has a really good dictionary as well as a several great courses, if you want to check them out.

*mutters* Curse the Grelvish!

Yeah, I recommend Ardalambion too; they have loads of good info there. Fellowship of the Word-smiths is also excellent.

Abedithon le,

~ Saphy ~

Ah, Grey Company is alright for the odd word or two - but it mixes Quenya and Sindarin like nobody's business and what you would be 'saying' would by no means by very accurate.

Here are a few more:

- http://www.jrrvf.com/hisweloke/sindar/index.html

- http://www.councilofelrond.com/modul...ary&file=index (- the council of Elrond dictionary mentioned before)

- http://www.arwen-undomiel.com/elvish/eng_to_elv.html

Not being exactly an elvish expert myself, I am not sure of the general consensus of these sites, but they do the job.

Yeah, the Grey Company had me going for awhile with their hybrid elvish... curse the blasphemers! :p ;)

Definitely stick with Ardalambion; the guy who made the site is an absolute genius. Also, I got this book called "The Languages of Tolkien's Middle Earth" which includes a decent-sized Elvish dictionary.