THOU

(singular 2nd person pronoun, distinct from plural “you” – the Quenya forms here discussed are not archaic like English “thou”, but simply express singular “you”). Quenya makes a distinction between a formal or polite “thou” and an intimate or familiar “thou”, the latter being reserved for use between close friends, family members, and lovers (VT49:51, 52). The formal pronoun normally appears as the ending -lyë or (if shortened) -l that is added to verbs, e.g. hiruvalyë “thou shalt find [it]” (Nam), caril or carilyë *“thou dost” or *“you (sg.) do” (VT49:16). The short form in -l may be the more usual, though the long form -lye- must be used if a second pronominal ending denoting the object of the verb is to be added (e.g. *cenuvalyes “thou shalt see it”, with the ending -s “it” appended). The ending -lyë may also be added to prepositions (aselyë “with thee”, VT43:29). The independent pronoun is lye, with a long vowel (lyé, VT49:51) when stressed. This pronoun can also appear in object position (English “thee”), e.g. nai Eru lye mánata, by Tolkien translated “God bless you” (VT49:39). Case endings may be added, e.g. allative lyenna *“upon thee” (VT49:40, 41). There is also elyë “thou, even thou” (Nam, RGEO:67) as an emphatic pronoun (Nam); apparently this can also receive case endings. Such independent pronouns may also be used in copula-less constructions, e.g. aistana elyë "blessed [art] thou" (VT43:30). – The intimate or familiar pronoun is similar in form, only with t instead of l. The pronominal ending is thus -tyë, as in carityë “thou dost, you (sg.) do” (VT49:16). It is uncertain whether -tyë has a short form -t (the existence of a short form is explicitly denied in VT49:51, but -t is listed in VT49:48). At one conceptual stage Tolkien mentioned such an ending that could be added to imperatives (hecat “get thee gone”, WJ:364), but he may have dropped it because it clashed with -t as a dual ending on verbs. The independent pronoun is tye, with a long vowel when stressed (tyé, VT49:51); presumably there also exists an emphatic pronoun *etyë (still unattested). Like lye, the pronoun tye may also appear in object position (ar inyë, yonya, tye-méla “and I too, my son, love thee”, LR:61); we must also assume that tye (and emphatic *etyë) can receive case endings. – Genitive forms, see THY.