The method for using this font is essentially that described in the appendices to The Lord of the Rings. Almost all of the letters are the same as in the book, with a few changes made for ease of use. The basic rules are as follows:
1. Vowels are written above the letter that follows them. In the word Òaggregate,Ó written thus:
the first ÒaÓ is written above the first ÒgÓ, the ÒeÓ is written above itÕs following ÒgÓ and the last ÒaÓ is written above the following ÒtÓ.
2. A silent, or following ÒeÓ, is as in the word ÒaggregateÓ above, is written below the previous letter of the word. Therefore, in the above illustration, the silent ÒeÓ is written below the ÒtÓ. You can do this by typing OPTION-e-SPACE for the silent ÒeÓ.
3. Double letters, such as in ÒaggregateÓ above, are written with a large flag, or stripe, attached to the letter, or written above the letter (as in the letters ÒsÓ, ÒwÓ, ÒzÓ, etc.) in letters that donÕt have ascending or descending stems. You can type a double letter by tying SHIFT-OPTION-letter.
4. Double vowels, such as in the word ÒkeepÓ, are written with SHIFT-OPTION-vowel.
5. Words that have multiple vowels that are side-by-side can cause problems. In this case, the first letter is written with a descending stem, and the second vowel is written as usual. Thus, the word ÒscourÓ would be written like this:
Notice that the ÒoÓ is written with a stem below it, and the following ÒuÓ is written above the last letter, ÒrÓ. This way, the vowels wonÕt be printed on top of each other on your screen or printer. Stemmed vowels are also used to write free-standing letters, such as the ÒaÓ in the sentence Òthis is a fontÓ. To type a vowel with a stem under it, just type SHIFT-letter.
6. There are no ÒcapitalizedÓ letters on this font. The SHIFT key is used alone only to add stems to vowels, and, with the OPTION key, to signify a double letter. When the SHIFT key is used alone, all letters but the vowels remain the same.
7. Words that end in "s" are written with a small, curved flag attached to the next-to-the-last letter. Thus, the word "hobbits" would be written like this:
You can type the "following" "s" by typing OPTION-s.
Tengwar-Gandalf is freeware. Sort of. Well, actually, itÕs postcardware. All that I ask is that you send me a postcard with the following: one lawyer joke, and one Hillary Clinton joke. As a medical student, I am very interested in collecting both. You can send to postcards to the following address:
Michael S. Elliott
702 NE 14th
Oklahoma City, OK 73104
IÕd also appreciate any comments that you might have about this font. Include them on the postcard, or write me email at America Online at:
MikeE60369 (thatÕs a zero, not a letter ÒohÓ). Enjoy!
