Consonants
The following table shows the consonant phonemes found in Common Eldarin according to the "Outline of Phonology". The Quenya linguistic terms are taken from another work by Tolkien: "The Tengwesta Qenderinwa". These were invented, according to Tolkien, by the Elf Rúmil.
| English | Quenya | Parmatéma | Tincotéma | Calmatéma |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Voiceless stops | Puntar alómear | ‹p› | ‹t› | ‹k› |
| Aspirated stops | Puntar alómea na-súrimar | ‹ph› | ‹th› | ‹kh› |
| Voiced stops | Puntar ómaisi | ‹b› | ‹d› | ‹g› |
| Nasal continuants | Vórear nengwear | ‹m› | ‹n› | ‹ñ› |
| Oral continuants | Vórear milyar | ‹w› | ‹l›, ‹r› | ‹j› |
| Spirant continuants | Vórear suryar | ‹s› | ‹h› |
The spirant s was naturally voiceless in Common Eldarin, and tended to unvoice preceding consonants, including nasals. It was voiced to before the voiced consonants: b, d, g, m, n. This voicing was merely contextual and z did not occur as a separate word-building element; was an allophone of .
Read more about this topic: Common Eldarin