Provide me resources or links to publications (books that I can
purchase, ebooks, downloadable .pdfs, websites etc.) that would make
it relatively easy (barring the necessary hours of study) to teach
myself to speak and read Elvish, any "modern" dialect, as invented by
J.R.R. Tolkien.

"Modern" is a misnomer, of course, because the language is
artificially constructed and thus there is no real historical context
for modernity.  Take the linguistic definition (i.e. the furthest
derivative from Tolkien's Primordial Elvish).

Ideally, you would direct me to a comprehensive course for teaching
myself Sindarin (or Nandorin or Telerin...or even the parent Quenya)
that with consistent practice and exercise I could speak the dialect.

Bear in mind that I was a lingustics minor and could settle with a
combination of 1) a clear, relatively straightforward discourse on the
grammar of the language, 2) a comprehensive wordlist/dictionary, and
3) an intermediate list of verbs and appropriate conjugations. 
However, complex linguistic treatises will not suffice as an answer
except as appended support material (I mean, lingustics is pretty
dense, and since this is a whimsical desire of mine, I want the
experience to be fun, not too dry).

Hello grammatoncleric-ga,

Even if this is a whimsical desire, it is one shared by many.  One
indication of this is that there is a category on the Google Directory
for "Tolkienian Languages".

"Science > Social Sciences > Language and Linguistics > Constructed
Languages > Fictional > Tolkienian Languages"
Google Directory
http://directory.google.com/Top/Science/Social_Sciences/Language_and_Linguistics/Constructed_Languages/Fictional/Tolkienian_Languages/?tc=1

Though not at the top of the category for some reason, the following
site is recommended by many web pages on Elvish languages.

Ardalambion
http://www.uib.no/People/hnohf/

This site includes, among other resources, a thorough analysis of
Sindarin and conjugations of all Sindarin verbs.

"Sindarin - the Noble Tongue"
Ardalambion
http://www.uib.no/People/hnohf/sindarin.htm

"Suggested Conjugation of all known or inferred Sindarin verbs"
Ardalambion
http://www.uib.no/People/hnohf/sindverb.htm

Two dictionaries of Sindarin are frequently recommended.  One you can
access online or download, while the other is on a CD that you can
order.

"The Sindarin Dictionary project"
Hiswelókë
http://www.geocities.com/almacq.geo/sindar/sdintro.html

"Gobeth e Lam Edhellen"
Ardalambion
http://www.uib.no/People/hnohf/gobeth.htm

If these resources are too dry for your taste, I have the feeling that
others out there in virtual Middle Earth would be willing to tutor you
or help you to practice.  Joining the Elvish linguistics list Elfing
should connect you with like-minded and helpful people.  (Presumably
you will want to use a separate mail account to handle the many
messages posted to this list.  As I noted at the outset, many share
this interest!)

"Elfing Welcome Message"
Yarinareth
http://www.yarinareth.net/David/elfling.html

I hope that you enjoy your Elvish studies!

- justaskscott-ga


Search terms used on Google:

elvish
elvish course

Hi justaskscott,

Thank you for this answer. :)

grammatoncleric