This is an excellent article that I found on Quenya vowel pronunciation. It helps alot to differentiate between the sounds of accented vowels and unaccented.
Quenya presents few problems in pronunciation; for native English speakers, the main point to watch is the vowels.
Vowels
The vowels of Quenya will be pronounced more or less correctly by a native speaker of practically any mainland European language (well, OK, not Danish!). For English and American speakers, a little care is required: pronounce the vowels as you would in, say, Spanish. They are all pure sounds, rather than the diphthongs frequent in English. Quenya (and the other languages) distinguish
short and
long vowels (traditionally marked by an acute accent). Unlike in English, where so-called short and long vowels have distinct sounds as well as distinct lengths, in Quenya the length is the only distinction between
i and
í,
a and
á,
u and
ú. (
e and
o do have some difference in quality.) The short vowels are pronounced thus:
- a is pronounced by most people as in Spanish or French, although for all we know it could be as in Dutch or English. So pronounce as in French patte, or German man. (This sound doesn't exist in Received Pronunciation English, but is roughly the a of northern English dialects in words such as bath.)
- e is pronounced as English pet, French fait, or German denn.
- i is pronounced with the same sound as English peat, but shorter; French lit; German vital.
- o is roughly English (but not American!) pot; French comme; German Topf.
- u is the sound of boot, but shorter; French ou; German Uran.
Examples:
a, e, i, o, u.
alta, elen, Isil, osto, undu.
The long vowels are pronounced thus:
- á, í, ú: just like the short vowels, but longer! (About twice as long, if you want a guide figure, but just do whatever your own language does.)
- é is pronounced a little `closer' than e. The first part of the diphthong in English may; a long version of French é; or german Tee.
- ó is similarly pronounced closer than o. English paw (but closer); French hôte; German Sohn.
Examples:
á, é, í, ó, ú.
fána, nése, hísie, onóne, untúpa.
Quenya also has a set of six diphthongs (note that all other pairs of vowels should be pronounced separately). They are
ai, oi, ui, au, eu, iu. In each case, pronounce the first vowel strongly, and glide into the second (except for
iu, where is it also acceptable to glide from a weak
i to a strong
u -- that is a Third Age pronunciation).
Examples:
ai, oi, ui, au, eu, iu (old), iu (3rd Age)
Ainu, coimas, cuivie, Laurelin, leuca, miule Finally, a note on the diaeresis. Tolkien used this sign in order to remind English speakers that
e should be pronounced at the end of words, and that combinations such as
ea are two sounds, not a diphthong, as in
Aldëa, Atalantë, hísië. Since this is completely unnecessary, it's usual not to use it in articles on Tolkienian linguistics.