who speaks Quenya?

> > Who in Lothlorien speaks Quenya, besides Galadriel?
> > Most of the elves there are Avari, if memory serves.
> > Celeborn is a Grey-elf from Doriath.
Christopher B Wright wrote:
> Sure, but most Elves spoke Sindarin if born in Middle-Earth
> (or if they stayed there any amount of time)
West of the Misty Mountains, yes.  Thranduil, Celeborn and Galadriel all
dwelt in Beleriand, and they (and whoever followed them east) speak
Sindarin.  Most of the Wood-Elves of Mirkwood and Lorien are Nandor
and/or Avari, and have their own tongue(s) -- though Legolas, a prince
and emissary, would know Sindarin and Westron, the common tongues of the
higher Elves and Men.

> and Quenya if they were ever in Aman.
At the end of the Third Age, Galadriel is (as far as I know) the only
named Elf in Middle-Earth who definitely was once in Aman.  (Gildor and
Glorfindel are Noldor, but we don't know whether they were born before
or after the Noldor left Aman.)

Many (if not all) of the Elves of Lorien would understand Quenya, yes,
but few (if any) other than Galadriel would use it informally.  Elves of
Mirkwood, even Thranduil and Legolas, might not know it at all.


> Some other languages were made in isolated groups (like the Teleri
> languages), but they weren't spoken much.
>
> Celeborn would know Doriathrin, Sindarin, and Quenya, as well as
> Westron.
I think you'll find that Doriathrin is a branch of Sindarin, and
Sindarin (like Nandorin) a branch of Telerin.


--
Anton Sherwood  --  http://www.ogre.nu/

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