Learning Quenya - Discussion Thread - The Barrow-Downs Discussion Forum

the guy who be short · 07-13-2005, 07:48 AM

Hehe, Kath, you're doing fine at plurals!

But, really, is there any reason for the gender imbalance? Is Quenya more appealing to women? Are Elves too nancy for men?

Is it just a coincidence?

Concerning poetry competitions: I've had a look, and you need to get up to lesson 5 to write anything decent (when lesson 5 is complete, students should understand present tense verbs, nouns and adjectives, which is enough for a basic poem). If not enough people get that far by September, the first poetry competition could be rescheduled for October.

Feanor of the Peredhil · 07-13-2005, 07:53 AM

The gender imbalance reminds me of my old Spanish class (fat lot of help that was... I'm going to miserably bomb my college proficieny test in about two weeks). There were about twenty of us... three guys.

And has anyone else noticed how torturously long the Introduction is?

the guy who be short · 07-13-2005, 08:06 AM

The intro isn't vital reading, Fea. I skimmed through it. The only thing of real importance was that some Quenya had been standardised (ie, "k"s turned to "c"s) because Tolkien changed his mind about spelling lots of times throughout his life. The rest is really babble.

Interestingly, in my German class, there were more boys than girls. German is usually thought of as quite a masculine language though.

French, usually thought of as feminine... I think there were a few more girls than boys.

I see Quenya as a feminine language. Maybe that's it.

Than again, maybe I'm pulling this all out of my donkey.

Summary of TGWBS's babble: Don't bother reading the whole intro properly Fea.

Feanor of the Peredhil · 07-13-2005, 08:13 AM

I read the first third of it between Monday night and yesteday afternoon, and then I gave up. I hadn't really planned on finishing it any how, since my attention span is notoriously bad, and it's very long-winded and infused with big words. Also, I'll be away from home probably tonight, definately tomorrow (though no worries, my players, I'll get in a death post on WW6 before I leave), and I'll be quite busy Friday.

I love when summer gets busy. Keeps me on my toes. Don't worry though, Encai, I'll get Lesson 1 read in between goofing off and shopping (hey, I didn't say what I was gonna be doing was important

).

dancing spawn of ungoliant · 07-13-2005, 12:17 PM

I just got back from a few days' vacation and Lhuna and I start our collaboration tomorrow.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Quenya course, Lesson 1

Since the Finnish language was evidently Tolkien's foremost inspiration...

...I'm having a breeze with the pronaunciation.

It's just the length of the lesson that is killing me (or is it that horrible headache I feel coming?). Anyway, at this point I feel optimistic about the course. Can't wait until we can begin writing poems!

Kath · 07-13-2005, 01:38 PM

Fea I would suggest you ignore the introduction unless you really want to read it. All it really does is give you a lot of conflicting information about the history behind Quenya and then tells you none of it matters because the course is going to do it one way and one way only.

spawn - just wait til you get to plurals!

Encaitare · 07-13-2005, 02:02 PM

Skipping the introduction sounds like a fantastic idea to me... it downloaded to a length of 21 pages on my word processor, and I'm still only on page 8. I think I'll skim through the rest and the get straight on to Lesson One.

Lhunardawen · 07-14-2005, 12:54 AM

spawn, I knew there was a reason why I wanted you as my buddy.

I think this is going to be oh-so-much-easier for you. Then you can help me out when I'm stuck.

the guy who be short · 07-14-2005, 05:18 AM

By the way, for those of you using IM, Kath and I devised a shorthand. As English keyboards don't have accented letters unless you memorise the ALT + Number combinations, we've replaced them with double letters. e.g. á becomes aa. This works because Quenya never has two of the same vowels in a row.

It's very handy and speeds things up.

Which is only really an issue using IM.

When you're not using IM, please use full letters. It's much prettier.

There a list of the ALT + Number combinations on the FAQ page.

Also, about the diaresis you sometime find on words like Eärendil, Kath and I ignore them altogether as they are only for pronunciation purposes for us poor English-speaking sods. I leave them off when writing in Quenya as they have no real purpose presuming one knows their pronunciation.

07-13-2005, 07:53 AM	#2
Feanor of the Peredhil La Belle Dame sans Merci Join Date: Feb 2003 Location: perpetual uncertainty Posts: 5,517	The gender imbalance reminds me of my old Spanish class (fat lot of help that was... I'm going to miserably bomb my college proficieny test in about two weeks). There were about twenty of us... three guys. And has anyone else noticed how torturously long the Introduction is? __________________ peace

07-13-2005, 08:13 AM	#4
Feanor of the Peredhil La Belle Dame sans Merci Join Date: Feb 2003 Location: perpetual uncertainty Posts: 5,517	I read the first third of it between Monday night and yesteday afternoon, and then I gave up. I hadn't really planned on finishing it any how, since my attention span is notoriously bad, and it's very long-winded and infused with big words. Also, I'll be away from home probably tonight, definately tomorrow (though no worries, my players, I'll get in a death post on WW6 before I leave), and I'll be quite busy Friday. I love when summer gets busy. Keeps me on my toes. Don't worry though, Encai, I'll get Lesson 1 read in between goofing off and shopping (hey, I didn't say what I was gonna be doing was important ). __________________ peace

07-13-2005, 01:38 PM	#6
Kath Everlasting Whiteness Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: Perusing the laminated book of dreams Posts: 4,533	Fea I would suggest you ignore the introduction unless you really want to read it. All it really does is give you a lot of conflicting information about the history behind Quenya and then tells you none of it matters because the course is going to do it one way and one way only. spawn - just wait til you get to plurals! __________________ “If more of us valued food and cheer and song above hoarded gold, it would be a merrier world.”

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07-13-2005, 07:48 AM	#1
the guy who be short Shadowed Prince Join Date: Jan 2003 Location: Thulcandra Posts: 2,343	Hehe, Kath, you're doing fine at plurals! But, really, is there any reason for the gender imbalance? Is Quenya more appealing to women? Are Elves too nancy for men? Is it just a coincidence? Concerning poetry competitions: I've had a look, and you need to get up to lesson 5 to write anything decent (when lesson 5 is complete, students should understand present tense verbs, nouns and adjectives, which is enough for a basic poem). If not enough people get that far by September, the first poetry competition could be rescheduled for October.

07-13-2005, 08:06 AM	#3
the guy who be short Shadowed Prince Join Date: Jan 2003 Location: Thulcandra Posts: 2,343	The intro isn't vital reading, Fea. I skimmed through it. The only thing of real importance was that some Quenya had been standardised (ie, "k"s turned to "c"s) because Tolkien changed his mind about spelling lots of times throughout his life. The rest is really babble. Interestingly, in my German class, there were more boys than girls. German is usually thought of as quite a masculine language though. French, usually thought of as feminine... I think there were a few more girls than boys. I see Quenya as a feminine language. Maybe that's it. Than again, maybe I'm pulling this all out of my donkey. Summary of TGWBS's babble: Don't bother reading the whole intro properly Fea.

07-13-2005, 02:02 PM	#7
Encaitare Bittersweet Symphony Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: On the jolly starship Enterprise Posts: 1,814	Skipping the introduction sounds like a fantastic idea to me... it downloaded to a length of 21 pages on my word processor, and I'm still only on page 8. I think I'll skim through the rest and the get straight on to Lesson One.

07-14-2005, 12:54 AM	#8
Lhunardawen Hauntress of the Havens Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: IN it, but not OF it Posts: 2,538	spawn, I knew there was a reason why I wanted you as my buddy. I think this is going to be oh-so-much-easier for you. Then you can help me out when I'm stuck.

07-14-2005, 05:18 AM	#9
the guy who be short Shadowed Prince Join Date: Jan 2003 Location: Thulcandra Posts: 2,343	By the way, for those of you using IM, Kath and I devised a shorthand. As English keyboards don't have accented letters unless you memorise the ALT + Number combinations, we've replaced them with double letters. e.g. á becomes aa. This works because Quenya never has two of the same vowels in a row. It's very handy and speeds things up. Which is only really an issue using IM. When you're not using IM, please use full letters. It's much prettier. There a list of the ALT + Number combinations on the FAQ page. Also, about the diaresis you sometime find on words like Eärendil, Kath and I ignore them altogether as they are only for pronunciation purposes for us poor English-speaking sods. I leave them off when writing in Quenya as they have no real purpose presuming one knows their pronunciation.