From: "Helge K. Fauskanger" To: elfling@egroups.com Date: Fri, 31 Dec 1999 01:05:20 +0100 X-MSMail-Priority: Normal X-Priority: 3 Message-Id: List-Help: List-Unsubscribe: List-Archive: Reply-To: elfling@egroups.com Subject: Re: Tongues (was: LotR movie) MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1 Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8bit BP Jonsson wrote: > The context makes one believe that "tyeller" in Appendix E of LoTR is the plural of a singular **tyelle, whereas in fact it is probably a singular with plural "tyelleri" The wording in Appendix E goes: "The [Tengwar] system contained twenty-four primary letters, 1-24, arranged in four _teemar_ (series), each of which had six _tyeller_ (grades)." I think it is very difficult to avoid the conclusion that _tyeller_ is here a plural form. Notice that the word occurs together with the numeral "six", which kind of implies plurality, and that it is immediately translated "grades", itself a plural word. Compare the word _teemar_ earlier in the sentence, itself occurring immediately after a numeral ("four"). There can be very little doubt that _teemar_ is a plural word, since its singular form _teema_ "row, series, line" is mentioned in the Etymologies (LR:392 s.v. TEŃ). The reference to four _teemar_ is wholly parallel to the following reference to six _tyeller_. So I think this is indeed the plural of a word *_tyelle_ "grade". In WJ:361, Tolkien refers to "nouns in _-e_, the majority of which formed their plurals in _-i_". This wording clearly implies that there are exceptions; *_tyelle_ must be assigned to the MINORITY of nouns that uses the other plural ending instead. It is not a wholly unique example; for instance, MR:215-216 indicates that the plural of _laamatyaave_ "sound-taste" (individual pleasure in wordforms) is _laamatyaaver_, not **_laamatyaavi_.MR:215-216). In the case of nouns in _-le_, like *_tyelle_, I suspect that they have plurals in _-ler_ rather than _-li_ to avoid confusion with the partitive plural ending _-li_. - Helge Fauskanger P.S. When and where I write this, less than 23 hours remain before the Millennium...if computer networks and/or civilization in general collapse(s) at midnight, it was nice to know you all...anyway, _alassea vinya loa ilyain_, happy new year to everybody...