Learning Quenya - Discussion Thread - The Barrow-Downs Discussion Forum

dancing spawn of ungoliant · 07-29-2005, 12:47 PM

Quote:

By the way - personal info here - I've just started writing my first Quenya poem.

That's really cool, congratulations!

Lhuna and I have successfylly finished lesson 3. I'd believe that we are done with lesson 5 before September.

Feanor of the Peredhil · 07-29-2005, 03:35 PM

It's true... life got really busy. While I might be done with Lesson 5 by September, having September 1st as our poetry competition start is absolutely irrevocably impossible for me. I'll be moving into college that day and then trapped in four days freshman orientation, and after that, I'll be adjusting to classes. So I have little access to the internet at best for the first week of September.

the guy who be short · 07-30-2005, 05:55 AM

Firstly, Feanor - September 1st would be the date that poetry starts to be submitted, presumably you would have started writing it in late August. So the question is really, could you get to lesson 5 by late August AND have time to write (what you feel is good) poetry?

Orominuialwen - I'm sorry to hear that, and it's entirely understandable of course. I don't expect people to think of Quenya as a priority, even in much less important situations. It's a casual club.

Lhuna and dancing spawn look in the best position to be ready by September, but I feel that the poetry contest would end up with 4 contenders if we kept the date.

So...

The first poetry contest will be delayed to October the First. I'd been toying with this idea before as well; if the contests are to be bimonthly (once every two months, not twice a month... stupid word has two meanings) this would avoid a contest starting on the 1st of January, when people will most likely be on holiday etc.

This means everybody should have time to get up to lesson 5, and most of us would hopefully get past it, allowing for more complex language and better quality poetry.

By the way, four lines into my first poem, I realised that we don't learn how to use pronouns until about lesson 12. Which means until then, our poetry will be full of proper nouns. Oh well.

For those of you interested in creating rhymes in your poems, the Ardalambion wordlists feature a "reverse wordlist" to help find rhymes. Unfortunately, Quenya is so heavily inflected (I stole that phrase from the course, yes) that it isn't of huge use. The other wordlists can of course be used to help in poetry.

Finally, CaptainofDespair and durelin have just joined our ranks.

[/Rambling]

Lhunardawen · 07-30-2005, 10:20 AM

You ended the rambling, tgwbs, but you did not even start it!

the guy who be short · 08-02-2005, 02:45 PM

Pretty much all I say is rambling.

Nilpaurion Felagund and vanwalossiel are the newest pair, by the way. Fourteen of us now...

What do people think about the competition judging? I thought that maybe we should make it a little more democratic, now that there are a larger number of us. Perhaps each Student should have one vote for a poem, and the poet with most votes wins? I think that would be a little better, maybe, and the winner of the last competition merely counts up the votes and does official, boring stuff like that?

Durelin · 08-04-2005, 05:33 PM

Just about done with Lesson Three. w00t. Took us several days to get started (and we have yet to do any *learning* today), but I've even been taking notes!

That's more than I do in any of my classes at school...and more than CaptainofDespair will ever do.

Wordlists are useful...of course I've started my own wordlist in my boredom and innocent enthusiasm.

And, democracy sounds good, even with its flaws. As does October.

Rambling is simply a lesser form of ranting, and is a constituent of it. Ranting is a more direct form of rambling, but can easily still be as lengthy and, though it is painful to say, can be as boring.

Note: Ranting can also be disjointed to add to its poignancy...

EDIT: We have cookies?!

CaptainofDespair · 08-05-2005, 06:47 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Durelin

Just about done with Lesson Three. w00t. Took us several days to get started (and we have yet to do any *learning* today), but I've even been taking notes!

That's more than I do in any of my classes at school...and more than CaptainofDespair will ever do.

Wait...are you implying I've taken notes? How dare you!

Yesh, yesh...we have to do learning today. I suppose tonight on the phone, after my mid-evening nap.

07-29-2005, 03:35 PM	#2
Feanor of the Peredhil La Belle Dame sans Merci Join Date: Feb 2003 Location: perpetual uncertainty Posts: 5,517	It's true... life got really busy. While I might be done with Lesson 5 by September, having September 1st as our poetry competition start is absolutely irrevocably impossible for me. I'll be moving into college that day and then trapped in four days freshman orientation, and after that, I'll be adjusting to classes. So I have little access to the internet at best for the first week of September. __________________ peace

07-30-2005, 05:55 AM	#3
the guy who be short Shadowed Prince Join Date: Jan 2003 Location: Thulcandra Posts: 2,343	Firstly, Feanor - September 1st would be the date that poetry starts to be submitted, presumably you would have started writing it in late August. So the question is really, could you get to lesson 5 by late August AND have time to write (what you feel is good) poetry? Orominuialwen - I'm sorry to hear that, and it's entirely understandable of course. I don't expect people to think of Quenya as a priority, even in much less important situations. It's a casual club. Lhuna and dancing spawn look in the best position to be ready by September, but I feel that the poetry contest would end up with 4 contenders if we kept the date. So... The first poetry contest will be delayed to October the First. I'd been toying with this idea before as well; if the contests are to be bimonthly (once every two months, not twice a month... stupid word has two meanings) this would avoid a contest starting on the 1st of January, when people will most likely be on holiday etc. This means everybody should have time to get up to lesson 5, and most of us would hopefully get past it, allowing for more complex language and better quality poetry. By the way, four lines into my first poem, I realised that we don't learn how to use pronouns until about lesson 12. Which means until then, our poetry will be full of proper nouns. Oh well. For those of you interested in creating rhymes in your poems, the Ardalambion wordlists feature a "reverse wordlist" to help find rhymes. Unfortunately, Quenya is so heavily inflected (I stole that phrase from the course, yes) that it isn't of huge use. The other wordlists can of course be used to help in poetry. Finally, CaptainofDespair and durelin have just joined our ranks. [/Rambling] Last edited by the guy who be short; 07-30-2005 at 05:56 AM. Reason: names and spelling

07-30-2005, 10:20 AM	#4
Lhunardawen Hauntress of the Havens Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: IN it, but not OF it Posts: 2,538	Totally, totally off-topic. You ended the rambling, tgwbs, but you did not even start it!

08-04-2005, 05:33 PM	#6
Durelin Estelo dagnir, Melo ring Join Date: Oct 2002 Posts: 3,063	Just about done with Lesson Three. w00t. Took us several days to get started (and we have yet to do any learning today), but I've even been taking notes! That's more than I do in any of my classes at school...and more than CaptainofDespair will ever do. Wordlists are useful...of course I've started my own wordlist in my boredom and innocent enthusiasm. And, democracy sounds good, even with its flaws. As does October. Rambling is simply a lesser form of ranting, and is a constituent of it. Ranting is a more direct form of rambling, but can easily still be as lengthy and, though it is painful to say, can be as boring. Note: Ranting can also be disjointed to add to its poignancy... EDIT: We have cookies?! Last edited by Durelin; 08-04-2005 at 05:48 PM.

08-02-2005, 02:45 PM	#5
the guy who be short Shadowed Prince Join Date: Jan 2003 Location: Thulcandra Posts: 2,343	Pretty much all I say is rambling. Nilpaurion Felagund and vanwalossiel are the newest pair, by the way. Fourteen of us now... What do people think about the competition judging? I thought that maybe we should make it a little more democratic, now that there are a larger number of us. Perhaps each Student should have one vote for a poem, and the poet with most votes wins? I think that would be a little better, maybe, and the winner of the last competition merely counts up the votes and does official, boring stuff like that?