Quenya

Quenya (Q.) or Elder Speech was both the language of the High-Elves and the most archaic form of the Elvish Languages. It's earliest form was known as Kwenya, Kwendya or Primitive Quendian while the later spelling Quenya usually only referred to the High-Eldarin or Valinorean dialects of Aman.

Of Valinorean Quenya the Noldorin and Vanyarin dialects were quite close while Noldorin was a bit more harsh (being influenced by Auleän) in sound and Vanyarin having taken more influences from Valarin. Falmarin was more removed from Valinorean and closer to the original Telerin strain of elvish.

Genealogy

• Primitive Quendian (Kwendya)
  • Archaic Avarin (Kwênja)
  • Common Eldarin
    • Common Telerin
      • Lemberin or Ilkorin (Languages of the Umanyar)
        • Nandorin
        • Sindarin
      • Archaic Telerin
        • Amanyarin Telerin or Lindarin
          • Falmarin (Telerin Quenya)
    • Archaic Noldorin and Vanyarin
      • Valinorian Quenya
        • Vanyarin
          • Ingweqenya (dialect of the royal house or Inwir)
        • Old Noldorin
          • Kornoldorin or Korolambë (Valinorean Noldorin)
          • Exilic Noldorin
            • Fëanorian dialect or dialect of East-Beleriand
              • Gondolindrin
                • Eresseän or Avallonian
              • Orthinian
              • Dialects of Mithrim, Nargothrond and Himring
              • Arctic
              • Loremaster-Speech of Númenór and Gondor
              • Mulanoldorin or Thrall-Noldorin

Outer information

Tolkien's Quenya is thought to have been mainly inspired by Finnish and Latin, although is also has some characteristics of Anglo-Saxon, Gothic and Arabic.