Quenya is the Tolkien language modeled chiefly on the sound and structure of Finnish.
Tolkien began developing Quenya during the 1910s, drawing inspiration from Finnish as well as from other languages. Within his fictional history, Quenya is an Elvish language associated especially with the Ñoldor and with the high culture of the Elves. Its name is connected with the idea of speech or language in Tolkien’s linguistic system.
Quenya appears in names, poems, ceremonial phrases, and songs throughout Tolkien’s writings. “Namárië,” Galadriel’s lament in The Lord of the Rings, is one of the best-known substantial examples of Quenya in the published narrative.
Quenya is distinct from Sindarin, another major Elvish language. Tolkien based Sindarin’s sound more strongly on Welsh. Neither language should be confused with Westron, the Common Speech of many peoples, or the Black Speech, created by Sauron for his servants.