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Help[Facts] Re: What is the meaning of my name Quenya
in reply to a message by Quenya
Your parents must be die-hard fans of the Lord of the Rings books written by J. R. R. Tolkien. Or used to be, since they appear to be deliberately vague about the origin of your name, what with them only being willing to admit that the name is made up and absolutely nothing beyond that.
In the books, Quenya is one of several Elvish languages. It looks like the language was named after those who originally spoke it, namely the Quendi. Their name translates as "speakers" or "those who speak with voices". So basically, I guess you could say that your name roughly means "language of those who speak with voices".
Sources used:
- Quenya on Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quenya (in English)
- Quenya on the Encyclopedia of Arda: http://www.glyphweb.com/arda/q/quenya.php (in English)
- Quendi on the Encyclopedia of Arda: http://www.glyphweb.com/arda/q/quendi.html (in English)
Forchta in biuonga quamon ouer mi, in bethecoda mi thuisternussi.
In ic quad: "uuie sal geuan mi fetheron also duuon, in ic fliugon sal in raston sal?"
In the books, Quenya is one of several Elvish languages. It looks like the language was named after those who originally spoke it, namely the Quendi. Their name translates as "speakers" or "those who speak with voices". So basically, I guess you could say that your name roughly means "language of those who speak with voices".
Sources used:
- Quenya on Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quenya (in English)
- Quenya on the Encyclopedia of Arda: http://www.glyphweb.com/arda/q/quenya.php (in English)
- Quendi on the Encyclopedia of Arda: http://www.glyphweb.com/arda/q/quendi.html (in English)
In ic quad: "uuie sal geuan mi fetheron also duuon, in ic fliugon sal in raston sal?"
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Replies
if that's the case then why did they wanted my name to be Pronounced "Quinn-yay" and miss Pronounced as "Quinn-yah" if they were fans of J.R.R Tolkein they would of pronouced it exactly like Tolkein i do think that the name "Quenya" is made i just wanna know what made them want to pick that name what inspired them to come up with the name "Quenya"
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Not necessarily. They might have just wanted to make your name even more unique than it already was. Lots of parents view their child as absolutely unique and want their child's name to reflect that uniqueness. These days, most parents try to achieve this by choosing a creative spelling (e.g. Mahdisynn instead of Madison), but there are some that will instead opt for a pronunciation that is different (in an unintuitive way) from the norm. Your parents might more or less belong to the latter category. It is also possible that they thought that changing the pronunciation would make the connection to LoTR somehow less blatantly obvious (wrong).
Unfortunately, only your parents can fully answer that question. We cannot look inside their minds and see what they were thinking back in 1998. If you ask me, though, their reluctance to answering your questions is somewhat suspect (for lack of a better term). It is possible that it indicates some embarrassment on their part, in that they might regret choosing a fictional name with a lacklustre meaning for their child.
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You are right that there is no 'h' at the end of Quenya. However, there is also no 'y' at the end of Quenya either.
Out of the two pronunciations mentioned by you, the one that other people tend to use is the most logical and intuitive (at least in an English-speaking context). The pronunciation that your parents have chosen is highly unusual: theirs is actually the pronunciation that deviates from the norm!
You see, the final 'a' in names that end in -a is always pronounced as 'ah'. You see that in names like Emma, Sara and Theresa. I don't think I have ever seen the final 'a' pronounced as 'ay' before. The letter 'a' is only pronounced as 'ay' when it is in the beginning of some names, such as Jaden and Kate.
With that in mind, your parents would have been wise to adjust the spelling of your name to their chosen pronunciation. If they had spelled it as Quenyae, Quenyay or even Quenye (think of Kanye West), it would have been immediately clear to people that the latter part of the name should be pronounced as 'ay'. But unfortunately, your parents did no such thing. As a result, people will always first assume that the final 'a' in Quenya should be pronounced as 'ah'. They are simply following a basic rule of the English language, and you can't fault them for that.
I am sorry that your parents didn't put enough thought into your name to foresee that they would burden you with a lifetime of having to "correct" people on the pronunciation of your name. :(
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Thanks but eventually i just learn to accept my name for what it is and i did thought about changing the spelling but nothing look right now i just gotta decide if i want to continue having my name Pronounced as "Quinn-yay" or to go along with everyone else and have it pronouced as "Quinn-yah"
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