Editing Tengwar (section)

==== Regularly formed ====

Most letters are constructed by a combination of two basic shapes: a vertical '''stem''' (either long or short) and either one or two rounded '''bows''' (which may or may not be underscored, and may be on the left or right of the stem).

These principal letters are divided into four series ("témar") that correspond to the main places of articulation and into six grades ("tyeller") that correspond to the main [[manner of articulation|manners of articulation]]. Both vary among modes.

Each series is headed by the basic signs composed of a vertical stem descending below the line, and a single bow. These basic signs represent the [[phonation|voice]]less [[stop consonant]]s for that series. For the classical Quenya mode, they are {{IPA|/t/}}, {{IPA|/p/}}, {{IPA|/k/}} and {{IPA|/kʷ/}}, and the series are named ''tincotéma'', ''parmatéma'', ''calmatéma'', and ''quessetéma'', respectively; téma means "series" in Quenya.

In rows of the ''general use'', there are the following correspondences between letter shapes and manners of articulation:

* Doubling the bow turns the [[phonation|voiceless consonant]] into a voiced one.
* Raising the stem above the line turns it into the corresponding [[fricative consonant|fricative]].
* Shortening it (so it is only the height of the bow) creates the corresponding [[nasal consonant|nasal]]. In most modes, the signs with shortened stem and single bow do not correspond to the [[phonation|voiceless]] nasals, but to the [[approximant]]s.

In addition to these variations of the Tengwar shapes, there is yet another variation, the use of stems that are extended both above and below the line. This shape may correspond to other consonant variations required. Except for some English abbreviations, it is not used in any of the better known Tengwar modes, but it occurs in a [[Quenya]] <!--sic--> mode where the tengwa Parma with extended stem is used for {{IPA|/pt/}} and the tengwa Calma with extended stem is used for {{IPA|/kt/}}.<ref>See ''[[Parma Eldalamberon]]'' 19 (2010), pp. 41–43.</ref> The Tengwar with raised stems sometimes occur in [[glyph]] variants that look like extended stems, as seen in the inscription of the [[One Ring]].

An example from the ''parmatéma'' (the signs with a closed bow on the right side) in the "general use" of the Tengwar is:

[[File:Parmatéma.png|right|60px]]

* The basic sign, named ''parma'', (with descending stem) represents {{IPA|/p/}} (it happens to look much like the Latin letter ''P'').
* With the bow doubled, ''umbar'', it represents {{IPA|/b/}}.
* With a raised stem, ''formen'', it represents {{IPA|/f/}}.
* With a raised stem and a doubled bow, ''ampa'', it represents generally {{IPA|/v/}} but possibly {{IPA|/mp/}} (depending upon the language).
* With a short stem and double bow, ''{{not a typo|malta}}'', it represents {{IPA|/m/}}.
* With short stem and single bow, ''vala'', it represents {{IPA|/w/}}, or {{IPA|/v/}} if that has the phonological behaviour of a sonorant (e.g. in Quenya).

In languages such as Quenya, which do not contain any voiced fricatives other than "v", the raised stem + doubled bow row is used for the common nasal+stop sequences (''nt'', ''mp'', ''nk'', ''nqu''). In such cases, the "w" sign in the previous paragraph is used for "v". In the mode of Beleriand, found on the door to [[Moria (Middle-earth)|Moria]], the bottom ''tyellë'' is used for nasals (e.g., ''vala'' is used for {{IPA|/m/}}) and the fifth ''tyellë'' for doubled nasals (''{{not a typo|malta}}'' for {{IPA|/mm/}}).