Eldamo : Quenya : tál

Q. tál (tal-) n. “foot” (Category: Foot)

Q. tál (tal-), n. “foot; [ᴹQ.] bottom, [ᴱQ.] lowest part” (Category: Foot)

The Quenya word for “foot” derived from the root √TAL of similar meaning (PE19/103; VT49/17; Ety/TAL). Given its Sindarin cognate S. tâl (not **taul) its ancient stem form must have had a short vowel, with the long vowel in the uninflected form the result of the subjective noun case which lengthened the base vowel of monosyllables (PE21/76). Q. tál could also refer to the bottom of things (PE21/21, 76) analogous to English “foot of the mountain” and similar phrases.

Conceptual Development: The earliest iteration of this word was ᴱQ. tala “foot” in the Qenya Lexicon of the 1910s under the early root ᴱ√TALA “support” (QL/88), a form also appearing in the contemporaneous Poetic and Mythological Words of Eldarissa (PME/88). In the Early Qenya Grammar of the 1920s it became ᴱQ. tál with plural tăli indicating an ancient short vowel (PE14/43, 76). In the Declension of Nouns from the early 1930s, ᴹQ. tāl had inflected forms with tal-, again indicating a short vowel in the stem (PE21/21), and likewise with the (1930s-style) genitive form talen in The Etymologies written around 1937 (Ety/TAL). Most of its later appearances also imply a short vowel in the stem, the main exception being the plural form táli in the 1950s version of the Nieninquë “poem”.

References ✧ PE16/96; PE17/130; PE19/103; VT43/16; VT49/17

Glosses

“foot” ✧ PE19/103 (tal); VT49/17 (tāl)

Variations

tal ✧ PE19/103
tāl ✧ VT43/16; VT49/17

Inflections

talya	3rd-sg-poss	“his foot”	✧ PE17/130; VT49/17
talasse	locative; joining-base-vowel		✧ VT43/16
talse	locative; assimilated		✧ VT43/16
táli	plural		✧ PE16/96

Element In

ᴺQ. !cantalya “four-legged, quadruped, (lit.) four-footed”
ᴺQ. !talhotsë “infantry; (lit.) foot-troop”
ᴺQ. !tallimë “ankle, (lit.) foot-link”
ᴺQ. !talquen “foot-soldier; (lit.) foot-person”
ᴺQ. !tótal “sock, (lit.) wool-foot”
Q. #attalya “biped, *(lit.) two-footed”
Q. taltil “toe, *(lit.) foot-tip”
Q. taltol “big toe”
Q. Tyeleptalëa “Silver-footed”
Q. táli lantalasselingië “*with feet like the music of falling leaves” ✧ PE16/96

Cognates

S. tâl “foot; [lower] end”

Derivations

< ✶tāl “foot”
- < √TAL “foot; *flat; [ᴱ√] support”

ᴹQ. tál (tal-) n. “foot; bottom” (Category: Foot)

See Q. tál for discussion.

References ✧ Ety/TAL; PE21/19, 21-22, 61-62

Glosses

“foot” ✧ Ety/TAL; PE21/21 (tāl)

Variations

tál ✧ Ety/TAL
tāl ✧ PE21/21; PE21/62

Changes

talden >> talmen ✧ PE21/21

Inflections

tallo	ablative; assimilated	“from the bottom, up”	✧ PE21/21
talullo	ablative		✧ PE21/22
[tal]ullut	ablative dual		✧ PE21/22
tallut	ablative dual; assimilated		✧ PE21/21
talillon	ablative plural		✧ PE21/21
†tallon	ablative plural; assimilated		✧ PE21/21
tala	accusative		✧ PE21/21
tali	accusative plural		✧ PE21/21
talta	allative; assimilated	“down to the bottom”	✧ PE21/21
talunta	allative		✧ PE21/22
taltau	allative dual; assimilated		✧ PE21/21
taluntau	allative dual		✧ PE21/22
talintan	allative plural		✧ PE21/21
†taltan	allative plural; assimilated		✧ PE21/21
talen	dative		✧ PE21/21
talir	dative plural		✧ PE21/21
talen	genitive	“foot”	✧ Ety/TAL
talo	genitive		✧ PE21/21
talion	genitive plural		✧ PE21/21
talanen	instrumental		✧ PE21/22
talden	instrumental		✧ PE21/21
talmen	instrumental		✧ PE21/21; PE21/61
talmet	instrumental dual		✧ PE21/21
talínen	instrumental plural		✧ PE21/21
talesse	locative		✧ PE21/22
talse	locative; assimilated		✧ PE21/21
†talte	locative; assimilated	“down at the foot (bottom)”	✧ PE21/21
[tal]esset	locative dual		✧ PE21/22
[tal]usset	locative dual		✧ PE21/22
talset	locative dual; assimilated		✧ PE21/21
†taltet	locative dual; assimilated		✧ PE21/21
talissen	locative plural		✧ PE21/21
†talsen	locative plural; assimilated		✧ PE21/21
†talten	locative plural; assimilated		✧ PE21/21
tál	nominative		✧ PE21/21
talunt	nominative dual		✧ PE21/21
talin	nominative plural		✧ PE21/21
talíka	partitive-plural		✧ PE21/21
taluva	possessive		✧ PE21/22
talwa	possessive		✧ PE21/21
talinwa	possessive plural		✧ PE21/21
talanon	similative		✧ PE21/22
taldon	similative		✧ PE21/21
talundon	similative		✧ PE21/22
talindon	similative plural		✧ PE21/21
tal-	stem	“foot”	✧ PE21/19

Element In

ᴹQ. tallune “sole of foot”
ᴹQ. Taltyelemna “*Silverfoot”
ᴹQ. kallo tallo “up and down (again)” ✧ PE21/22
ᴹQ. talte “down, at the bottom” ✧ PE21/22

Cognates

Ilk. tal “foot” ✧ Ety/TAL
N. tâl “foot; (lower) end” ✧ Ety/TAL

Derivations

< ᴹ√TAL¹ “foot” ✧ Ety/TAL

Phonetic Developments

ᴹ√TAL > tál

[tāl]

✧ Ety/TAL

ᴱQ. tala¹ n. “foot; bottom, lowest part” (Category: Foot)

See Q. tál for discussion.

References ✧ LT2A/Talceleb; MC/216; PE14/43, 47, 52, 72, 76, 79; PE15/71-72; PE16/90, 92, 137; PME/88; QL/88

Glosses

“foot” ✧ LT2A/Talceleb; PE14/43 (tāl); PE14/72 (tāl); PE14/76 (tál); PE15/72 (tal); PE16/137 (tāl); PME/88; QL/88
“foot, bottom” ✧ PE14/79 (tal-)
“foot; bottom, lowest part” ✧ PE15/71 (tal)

Variations

tala ✧ LT2A/Talceleb; PME/88; QL/88
tāl ✧ PE14/43; PE14/72; PE15/72; PE16/137
tál ✧ PE14/76
tal- ✧ PE14/79; PE15/71; PE15/72

Inflections

tallo	ablative		✧ PE14/47
tallo	ablative	“from (one’s) feet, from the bottom of”	✧ PE14/79
tăla	accusative		✧ PE16/137
talta	allative		✧ PE14/47
talta	allative	“to (one’s) feet, to the bottom of”	✧ PE14/79
talta	allative	“to the bottom (of)”	✧ PE15/71
talqi	dual		✧ PE14/52; PE14/76
talwi	dual	“feet”	✧ LT2A/Talceleb
talwi	dual		✧ PME/88
talwi	dual	“the feet”	✧ QL/88
talde	locative	“at foot (of)”	✧ PE14/47
talde	locative	“at (one’s) foot, on the bottom of”	✧ PE14/79
talde	locative	“at the bottom (of)”	✧ PE15/71
tálin	nominative plural	“feet”	✧ MC/216
tali	plural		✧ PE15/72
táli	plural	“feet”	✧ PE16/90; PE16/92
tăli	plural		✧ PE14/43; PE14/72; PE14/76
talā-	stem		✧ QL/88

Element In

ᴱQ. attalaite “biped” ✧ QL/88
ᴱQ. attalin “biped” ✧ QL/88
ᴱQ. tala(no)ite “footed” ✧ QL/88 (talaite)
ᴱQ. tálin paptalasselindeën “with feet like the music of falling leaves” ✧ MC/216; PE16/90; PE16/92
ᴱQ. Taltelepta “Silver Feet” ✧ LT2A/Talceleb

Cognates

G. tâl “foot”

Derivations

< ᴱ√TALA “support” ✧ LT2A/Talceleb; QL/88

Phonetic Developments

ᴱ√TALA > tala

[talā] > [tala]

✧ QL/88