Select Elvish Words 3.51-3.57: Chicken, Goose, Duck

3.51 Chicken

ᴱQ. kekteket (kektekett-) n. “clucking”

The word ᴱQ. kekteket “clucking” appeared in the Qenya Lexicon of the 1910s under the early root ᴱ√KEKE “cluck” (QL/46). In the margin Tolkien wrote cectecet, an early example of him using c in spelling for the sound [k].

Neo-Quenya: For purposes of Neo-Quenya, I’d adapt this word as ᴺQ. cehtecet “clucking”, since in later Quenya phonetics kt became ht (IPA [xt]).

ᴱQ. poroke n. “hen, barn fowl, *chicken”

The word ᴱQ. poroke “barn fowl” appeared in the Qenya Lexicon of the 1910s, along with a second gloss “hen” that was deleted (QL/75). In Early Qenya Word-lists of the 1920s, Tolkien glossed ᴱQ. poroke as “hen” (PE16/132). In Common Eldarin: Noun Structure from the early 1950s, Tolkien had primitive words ✶porokĭ “fowl” and ✶porokē “hen” (PE21/82), both of which would become *porocë in Quenya. Finally, primitive onomatopoetic roots √porok or √korok “hen” appeared in marginal notes from the late 1960s (VT47/36).

Neo-Quenya: Given the above, I would retain ᴺQ. porocë for purposes of Neo-Quenya, usable both for chickens in general as well as hens, much as the default gender of the English word “chicken” is female rather than male. For a specifically female chicken, however, I would use ᴺQ. holyë “hen”. The word porocë “fowl” might also apply to domesticated birds in general.

G. porog n. “fowl (domestic), *chicken”

The word G. porog “fowl (domestic)” appeared in the Gnomish Lexicon of the 1910s (GL/64), clearly the cognate of ᴱQ. poroke “barn fowl” from the contemporaneous Qenya Lexicon (QL/75). In Common Eldarin: Noun Structure from the early 1950s, Tolkien had primitive words ✶porokĭ “fowl” and ✶porokē “hen” (PE21/82), indicating this Gnomish word may have remained valid in later Sindarin.

Neo-Sindarin: Gábor Lőrinczi proposed a neologism ᴺS. prôg “fowl, hen” as recorded in the VinQuettaParma Wiki (VQP), but I personally would just stick with attested ᴺS. porog. Furthermore, I’d limit this word to just “fowl” or “*chicken”, and recommend ᴺS. huil or ᴺS. poroguil for “hen”.

G. porogog n. “the clucking and noise of fowls”

The word G. porogog “the clucking and noise of fowls” appeared in the Gnomish Lexicon of the 1910s as an elaboration of G. porog “fowl (domestic)” (GL/64).

Neo-Sindarin: Since I think ᴺS. porog “fowl” likely remains valid, I’d keep ᴺS. porogog as well for purposes of Neo-Sindarin.

3.52 Cock, Rooster

ᴺQ. hollo n. “cock, cockerel, rooster”

A neologism for “cock, cockerel, rooster” proposed by Gábor Lőrinczi appearing in the VinQuettaParma Wiki (VQP), derived from primitive ✶khollō̆ “cock” which appeared in Common Eldarin: Noun Structure from the early 1950s (PE21/82).

ᴱQ. tokot n. “cock”

The word ᴱQ. tokot “cock” appeared in Early Qenya Word-lists of the 1920s (PE16/132). Its etymology is unclear.

Neo-Quenya: I’d retain ᴺQ. tocot for purposes of Neo-Quenya. For example, it appeared in Helge Fauskanger’s Neo-Quenya New Testament (NQNT). ᴺQ. hollo is an alternative based on primitive forms from the 1950s, but I think the two can coexist like English “cockerel” and “rooster”.

ᴺS. holl n. “cock, cockerel, rooster”

A neologism for “cock, cockerel, rooster” proposed by Gábor Lőrinczi appearing in the VinQuettaParma Wiki (VQP), derived from primitive ✶khollō̆ “cock” which appeared in Common Eldarin: Noun Structure from the early 1950s (PE21/82).

3.54 Hen

ᴱQ. oi n. “bird, hen”

The word ᴱQ. oi “bird, hen” appeared in the Qenya Lexicon of the 1910s under the unglossed early root ᴱ√OHO¹, but Tolkien considered transferring this and related words to ᴱ√OHO² “cry” (QL/69). This word also seems to have appeared in an inflected form oïkta in the very early Narqelion poem.

Conceptual Development: In Early Qenya Word-lists of the 1920s, Tolkien had ᴱQ. oi and oiwe “bird” (PE16/132), forms that later developed into Q. aiwë “bird”. However, many years later in Common Eldarin: Noun Structure from the early 1950s Tolkien had the primitive word ✶kholjē “hen” derived from the root √KHOL “crow, cry aloud”, which seems to be a later iteration of the early oi “hen” word.

Neo-Quenya: Based on ✶kholjē, Gábor Lőrinczi proposed a neologism ᴺQ. holyë “hen” as recorded in the VinQuettaParma Wiki (VQP). I would treat holyë “hen” as exclusively feminine, as opposed to ᴺQ. porocë which can be used both of hens and of chickens generally.

G. porogwil n. “hen”

The word G. porogwil appeared in the Gnomish Lexicon of the 1910s as a combination of G. porog “fowl (domestic)” and G. uil “hen” (GL/64, 74).

Neo-Sindarin: I would adapt this word as ᴺS. poroguil for purposes of Neo-Sindarin, updating the second element to the neologism ᴺS. huil “hen”. The longer form is better distinguished from ᴺS. huil “bitch, female dog”.

G. uil n. “hen”

The word G. uil “hen” appeared in the Gnomish Lexicon of the 1910s (GL/74), almost certainly a cognate of ᴱQ. oi “bird, hen” which Tolkien considered deriving from ᴱ√OHO² “cry” (QL/69). In Common Eldarin: Noun Structure from the early 1950s, Tolkien had the primitive word ✶kholjē “hen” derived from the root √KHOL “crow, cry aloud” (PE21/82), which seems to be a later iteration of this Gnomish uil “hen” word.

Neo-Sindarin: Based on the above, Gábor Lőrinczi proposed a neologism ᴺS. hŷl “hen” as recorded in the VinQuettaParma Wiki (VQP). However, my analysis of Sindarin phonology indicates that ᴺS. huil is the more likely result ✶kholjē: compare thuil and thuin plurals of thôn and thôl, and possibly also ruin < *runyā and fuir < *forya. For further details see the entry on how final [i] intruded into preceding syllable in Sindarin.

In any case, I recommend ᴺS. huil for “hen” in Neo-Sindarin, or its more elaborate form ᴺS. poroguil.

3.56 Goose

ᴹQ. ván n. “goose”

A noun for “goose” in The Etymologies of the 1930s derived from primitive ᴹ✶wān under the root ᴹ√WĀ “blow” (Ety/WĀ).

Conceptual Development: In the Qenya Lexicon of the 1910s the words for “goose” was ᴱQ. ẏanwa (QL/105).

N. gwaun n. “goose”

A noun for “goose” in The Etymologies of the 1930s derived from primitive ᴹ✶wān under the root ᴹ√WĀ “blow” (Ety/WĀ), where ancient ā became au. It had a Noldorin plural form of guin, but if adapted to (Neo) Sindarin its plural would be gwoen: compare Sindarin plural S. noeg of naug “dwarf” (UT/100) vs. its Noldorin plural N. nuig (EtyAC/NAUK).

3.57 Duck

ᴱQ. qá n. “duck”

An (onomatopoeic?) noun appearing as ᴱQ. qā “a duck” in Qenya Lexicon of the 1910s derived from the early root ᴱ√QAHA (QL/76). It was also mentioned in the Poetic and Mythological Words of Eldarissa (PME/76). Later iterations of this onomatopoeia may be seen in primitive ✶kawāk “crow” (WJ/395) and ✶kāwāk “frog” (VT47/36), producing Q. quáco and Q. quácë respectively.

Neo-Quenya: I’d adapt this word as ᴺQ. quá “duck” for purposes of Neo-Quenya.

ᴱQ. qaqa- vb. “to quack, squawk, cackle, *croak”

A verb appearing as ᴱQ. qaqa- “quack, squawk, cackle” in Qenya Lexicon of the 1910s derived from the early root ᴱ√QAHA (QL/76).

Neo-Quenya: I’d adapt this word as ᴺQ. quaqua- “quack, squawk, cackle, *croak” for purposes of Neo-Quenya, based on hypothetical onomatopoeic root *√KAWAK, the basis for words like ✶kāwāk > Q. quácë “frog” (VT47/36).