Quenya/Exceptional stems

Words with misguiding final letter

Following words look as words on \6 -r but they are in fact words on \8 -s:

• a~C6 cár → aD8\ cas- "head"

• aY6 cor → aY8\ cos- "war"

• eD2^6 fandor → eD2^8\ fandos- "monster"

• t#6 mar → t#8\ mas- "home, dwelling"

• 5%`V6 nier → 5%`V8\ nies- "honey-bee"

They only have a final \6 -r in the nominative singular, in all other cases they are declined as aY8 cos (see Declension Paradigms).

And these words look as words on \8 -s but they are really words on \1 -t:

• aF7R8 ceres → aF7R1\ ceret- "earthenware"

• 9R8 hes → 9R1\ het- "sibling"

• qEj%8 palis → qEj%1\ palit- "sward, lawn"

They only have a final \8 -s in the nominative singular, in all other cases they are declined as iD7E1 sarat (see Declension Paradigms).

Doubled t-stems

doubled stems in ts

When these words end in \1 -t we don’t find a genuine doubling but rather an extra \8 -s:

• 9Rj$1 helet → 9Rj$1+\ helets- "fur-coat"

• 9R5$1 henet → 9R5$1+\ henets- "window"

• `N7Y1 orot → `N7Y1+\ orots- "cave"

• zFj$1 quelet → zFj$1+\ quelets- "corpse"

Also some words in \8 -s belong to this group:

• `C7T8 aris → `C7T1+\ arits- "daughter"

• aDs#7T8 cangaris → aDs#7T1+\ cangarits- "weaver"

• eD8 fas → eD1+\ fats- "tassel"

• 5^8 nos → 5^1+\ nots- "damp"

• `H`C7T8 oaris → `H`C7T1+\ oarits- "mermaid"

And one exceptional word in \`V -ë:

• yT1R vitë → yT1+\ vits- "sap"

These words have a special locative and possessive singular, and they all have a u-dual:

	Singular	Plural		Dual	Partitive Plural
Nominative	9Rj$1 helet	9Rj$1T+ heletsi		9Rj$1U+ heletsu	9Rj$1iRj% heletseli
Genitive	9Rj$1Y+ heletso	9Rj$1iG`N5 heletsion		9Rj$1iJ`N heletsuo	9Rj$1iRj%`N5 heletselion
Possessive	9Rj$1nE heletwa	9Rj$1iGyE heletsiva		9Rj$1iJyE heletsuva	9Rj$1iRj~ByE heletselíva
Dative	9Rj$1iR5 heletsen	9Rj$1iG5 heletsin		9Rj$1iJ5 heletsun	9Rj$1iRj%5 heletselin
Ablative	9Rj$1iRj°^ heletsello	9Rj$1iGj°^5 heletsillon	9Rj$1iGj°^6 heletsillor	9Rj$1iJj°^ heletsullo	9Rj$1iRj%j°^5 heletselillon	9Rj$1iRj%j°^6 heletselillor
Allative	9Rj$1iR5"# heletsenna	9Rj$1iG5"#6 heletsinnar		9Rj$1iJ5"# heletsunna	9Rj$1iRj%5"# heletselinna	9Rj$1iRj%5"#6 heletselinna
Locative	9Rj$1R+ heletsë	9Rj$1iG,R5 heletsissen		9Rj$1iJ,R heletsussë	9Rj$1iRj%,R heletselissë	9Rj$1iRj%,R5 heletselissen
Instrumental	9Rj$1iR5$5 heletsenen	9Rj$1iG5$5 heletsinen		9Rj$1iJ5$5 heletsunen	9Rj$1iRj~B5$5 heletselínen
Respective	9Rj$1iR8 heletses	9Rj$1iG8 heletsis		9Rj$1iJ8 heletsus	9Rj$1iRj%8 heletselis

doubled stems in tt

• aDj&t$1 calumet → aDj&t$1;\ calumett- "lamp"

• aFd1RaF1 cehtecet → aFd1RaF1;\ cehtecett- "cuckling"

• j#1 lat → j#1;\ latt-, "flap, lid"

• j$zF1 lequet → j$zF1;\ lequett- "joint"

• t#1 mat → t#1;\ matt- "meal"

• 5#1 nat → 5#1;\ natt- "thing"

• 1RaF1 tecet → 1RaF1;\ tecett- "letter"

doubled stems in ht

• aFaF1 cecet → aFaFd1\ ceceht- "pheasant"

• t$1 met → t$d1\ meht- "mark, aim"

• t&1 mut → t&d1\ muht- "dirt, filth"

• iD7E1 sarat → iD7Ed1\ saraht- "plank"

• 1R7R1 teret → 1R7Rd1\ tereht- "auger, gimlet"

• 1R1 tet → 1Rd1\ teht- "spot, mark"

• nRj$1 welet → nRj$d1\ weleht- "boil, tumour"

• hÍE1 yat → hÍEd1\ yaht- "neck"

Vowel shortening

In some nouns a long vowel is shortened in the stem-form, but otherwise they are declined as if they didn't have that long vowel in the nominative singular.

• j~C6 lár → j#6\ lar- "ear"

• 5~V5 nén → 5$5\ nen- "water"

• 5~V6 nér → 5$6\ ner- "man"

• z~V5 quén → zF5\ quen- "person"

• 1~Cj tál → 1Ej\ tal- "foot"

• hÍ~C6 yár → hÍE6\ yar- "blood" ^

^ The normal word for blood is iR6aF sercë.

The word hÍ~V5 yén "Elvish year" is an exception, as its stem-form also has a long ~V é: hÍ~V5% yéni.

Vowel lengthening

In a few words we find the reverse situation. But they are all proper names:

• `V7UdT5 Eruhin → `V7Ud~B5\ Eruhín- "Child of Eru"

• yEj#1E6 Valatar → yEj#1~C6\ Valatár- "Valar-king"

• `C1E5#1E6 Atanatar → `C1E5#1~C6\ Atanatár- "Forefather"

• aDiD6 Casar → aD8~C6\ Casár- "Dwarf"

Vowel changing

In some words the vowel completely changes. The most frequent words are the U-stems and the I-stems.

There are 2 words that have a stem-forms in \`C –a but a nominative in \`N –o:

• 7.DaY rauco → 7.DaD\ rauca- "demon"

• iJ2^ sundo → iJ2#\ sunda- "root"

Note: 7.DaY rauco is in singular and dual a U-stem.

There are also 2 words on \`C\ –a with a stem-form on \`B\ –i:

• 9~B5# hína → 9~B5%\ híni- "child"

• ~N5^5# ónona → ~N5^5%\ ónoni- "twin"

Words with exceptional connecting vowels

As we have seen: when a case-ending that begins with a consonant, is applied to a noun ending in a consonant we add an \`V\ –e– between the stem and the ending, e.g.

• t#aGj$5 macilen "to a sword" (dative)

• `C5#7R5"# anarenna "to a king" (allative)

There are however four words that have a different connecting vowel: With \`N\ –o–

• 1Yj tol → 1Yj°\ toll- "island"

• t#2^8 Mandos → t#2^81\ Mandost- "Mandos"

so we find e.g.

• 1Yj^,R tolossë "on an island" (locative)

• t#2^81Y5"# Mandostonna "to Mandos" (allative)

With \`C\ –a–

• 1~Cj tál → 1Ej\ tal- "foot"

• `Mw#6 umbar → `Mw#61\ umbart- "fate"

so we find e.g.

• 1Ej#5 talan "to a foot" (dative)

• `Mw#61E5$5 umbartanen "with fate" (instrumental)

Irregular stem-forms

First a group of connected words: All words that denote a "room" end on \iD5 –san. This is derived from iDw$ sambë "room", e.g.:

• alDt#iD5 caimasan → alDt#iDw\ caimasamb- "bedroom"

These two words also belong to this group:

• 9C5 han → 9Cw\ hamb- "ground"

• iD5 san → iDw\ samb- "chamber"

But some words are totally irregular:

• aGj#qT cilapi → aGj#qTf\ cilapinc- "robin"

• 9ÍC6 hyar → 9ÍC6t\ hyarm- "plough"

• j#8 las → j#a|\ lax- "snare"

• j$f$ lencë → j$z\ lenqu- "limb"

• lY1Y oito → lY`H4\ oiont- "lack"

• `Nj^8 olos → `Nj^6\ olor- "dream"

• qE1 pat → qEq1\ papt- "small leaf"

• qRj1E8 peltas → qRj1Ea|\ peltax- "pivot"

• qT`V1 piet → qT`Va;\ piecc- "pin"

• iD1 sat → iGq1\ sapt- "hole"

• iGj%1 silit → iGj%z\ siliqu- "flint"

• iGf$ sincë → iGv\ sinqu- "mineral, metal"

• 1D7E5 taran → 1E7Ew\ taramb- "buffet"

• 1Rj%5 telin → 1Rj%w\ telimb- "roof, covering"

• 1ÎU8 tyus → 1ÎUa|\ tyux- "cud"

• `Mj&5 ulun → `Mj&r\ ulump- "camel"

Some words resemble 2-letter words, but they have a stem-form:

• 7~C rá → 7~Cy\ ráv- "lion"

• 5~N nó → 5~Nn\ nów- "idea"

• 1~N tó → 1~Nn\ tów- "wool"

The possessive singular of these words always ends on -va, the genitive on -vo:

• 7~C rá → 7~CyE - 7~CyY ráva, rávo

• 5~N nó → 5~NyE - 5~NyY nóva, nóvo

• 1~N tó → 1~NyE - 1~NyY tóva, tóvo

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