return

appendix e 1471
(9–12)=th, f, sh, ch (or th, f, kh, khw/hw), and Grade 4 (13–16)=
dh, v, zh, gh (or dh, v, gh, ghw/w).
The original Fëanorian system also possessed a grade with
extended stems, both above and below the line. These usually
represented aspirated consonants (e.g. t+h, p+h, k+h), but might
represent other consonantal variations required. They were not
needed in the languages of the Third Age that used this script;
but the extended forms were much used as variants (more clearly
distinguished from Grade 1) of Grades 3 and 4.
Grade 5 (17–20) was usually applied to the nasal consonants:
thus 17 and 18 were the most common signs for n and m.
According to the principle observed above, Grade 6 should then
have represented the voiceless nasals; but since such sounds
(exemplified by Welsh nh or ancient English hn) were of very
rare occurrence in the languages concerned, Grade 6 (21–24)
was most often used for the weakest or ‘semi-vocalic’ consonants
of each series. It consisted of the smallest and simplest shapes
among the primary letters. Thus 21 was often used for a weak
(untrilled) r, originally occurring in Quenya and regarded in the
system of that language as the weakest consonant of the tincotéma;
22 was widely used for w; where Series III was used as a
palatal series 23 was commonly used as consonantal y. 1
Since some of the consonants of Grade 4 tended to become
weaker in pronunciation, and to approach or to merge with those
of Grade 6 (as described above), many of the latter ceased to have
a clear function in the Eldarin languages; and it was from these
letters that the letters expressing vowels were largely derived.
note
The standard spelling of Quenya diverged from the applications
of the letters above described. Grade 2 was used for nd, mb, ng,
ngw, all of which were frequent, since b, g, gw only appeared in
these combinations, while for rd, ld the special letters 26, 28 were
1 The inscription on the West-gate of Moria gives an example of a
mode, used for the spelling of Sindarin, in which Grade 6 represented
the simple nasals, but Grade 5 represented the double or long nasals
much used in Sindarin: 17=nn, but 21=n.