Sindarin Pronunciation
| Letter(s) | Sound | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Vowels | ||
| A/Á/Â | a | Father* |
| E/É/Ê | ɛ | Better* |
| I/Í/Î | i (Y before a vowel unless there's an accent on it.) | Machine* (Yellow) |
| O/Ó/Ô | o | Oat* |
| U/Ú/Û | u | Brute* |
| Y/Ý/Ŷ | ɪ (French "u") | Bin(Lune)* |
| Diphthongs | ||
| AE | ae | Eye |
| AI | ai | Twine |
| AU/AW | au | Owl |
| EI | e | Ray |
| OE | oi | Boy |
| UI | ui | Ruin |
| Vowel-Consonant Combinations | ||
| ER | ɛr | Fair |
| IR | ir | Ear |
| UR | ur | Tour |
| Consonants | ||
| C | k | Kill |
| CH | x | Bach |
| DH | đ | These |
| F | f (v at the end of a word) | Fret (Of) |
| G | g | Give |
| HW | wh | White |
| I | y (before a vowel) | Yellow |
| NG | ŋg | Finger |
| PH | f | Phone |
| R | r | Growl or Purr (rolled) |
| RH | ɹ | Ripple (not rolled) |
| TH | θ | Cloth |
*Accents denote extra emphasis on the vowel. They are held longer than normal.
Where the stress falls
- If the word is 1 syllable long, then that one syllable gets the stress.
- If the word is 2 or 3 syllables long then the first syllable gets the stress.
- If it is longer than 3 syllables, the third syllable from the end gets the stress.
- If there is an accent in the word, if there's a diphthong, if there are two or more consonants together, the last syllable with an accent, diphthong, or multiple consonants gets the stress.
- If the syllable with an accent, diphthong, or multiple consonants comes at the end of a word that's three syllables long or longer, then the third syllable from the end gets the stress.
Note: I am using Northwestern American English, which anyone can tell you, is a little different from the rest of the world's English. If the chart seems to contradict itself, that's probably why.
Source: Appendix E, The Lord of the Rings (The Return of the King)