a

1 vocative particle "O" in a vanimar "O beautiful ones" LotR3:VI ch. 6, translated in Letters:308; also attested repeatedly in VT44:12 cf. 15: A Hrísto *"o Christ", A Eruion*"o God the son/son of God", a Aina Fairë *"o Holy Spirit", a aina Maria *"o holy Mary". 2 conj. "and", a variant of ar occurring in Fíriel's Song that also has ar; a seems to be used before words in f-, but contrast ar formenna *”and northwards” in a late text, VT49:26. According to PE17:41, “Old Quenya” could have the conjunction a as a variant of ar before n, ñ, m, h, hy, hw f is not mentioned, PE17:71 adding ty, ny, hr, hl, ñ, l, r,þ, s. See ar \#1. It may be that the a or the sentence nornë a lintieryanen “he ran with his speed” i.e. as quickly as he could is to be understood as this conjunction, if the literal meaning is *“he ran and did so with his speed” PE17:58. 3, also á, imperative particle. An imperative with “immediate time reference” is expressed by á in front of the verb or “occasionally after it, sometimes before and after for emphasis”, with the verb following in “the simplest form also used for the uninflected ‘aorist’ without specific time reference past or present or future” PE17:93. Cf. a laita te, laita te! "o bless them, bless them!", á vala Manwë! "may Manwë order it!", literally *"o rule Manwë!" see laita, vala for reference; cf. also á carë *“do!”, á ricë “try!”, á lirë “sing!”, á menë “proceed!”, a norë “run!” PE17:92-93, notice short a in this example, á tula *"come!" VT43:14. In the last example, the verb tul- “come” receives an ending -a that probably represents the suffixed form of the imperative particle, this apparently being an example of the imperative element occurring both “before and after” the verbal stem “for emphasis” PE17:93. This ending may also appear on its own with no preceding a/á, as in the command queta “speak!” PE17:138. Other examples of imperatives with suffixed -a include cena and tira VT47:31, see cen-, tir-; the imperatives of these same verbs are however also attested as á tirë, á cenë PE17:94 with the imperative particle remaining independent and the following verb appearing as an uninflected aorist stem. This aorist can be plural to indicate a 3rd person pl. subject: á ricir! “let them try!” PE17:93. Alyë VT43:17, VT44:9 seems to be the imperative particle a with the pronominal suffix -lyë "you, thou" suffixed to indicate the subject who is to carry out the command; attested in the phrase alyë anta *"give thou" elided aly' in VT43:11, since the next word begins in e-: aly' eterúna me, *"do thou deliver us"; presumably other pronominal suffixes could likewise be added. The particle a is also present in the negative imperatives ala, \#ála or áva, q.v.