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Prestanneth is the Sindarin word for lenition, symbolizing the shift, the change in words to make their speech beautiful.
Lenition is the changing of the first and last letters of words to make them easier to say together. There are five types of lenition to learn: Soft Mutation, Nasal Mutation, Mixed Mutation, Stop Mutation, and Liquid Mutation. The etymological history of the word is also important when using Lenition.
There are three types of words, beginning with B, D, and G, that change differently. That is because their etymology is different from the others. The B comes from MB; the D comes from ND; and the G comes from NG. To find out what type of word a B, D, or G word is, look at the root it came from. I now expect you to look up words for yourself using this website's downloadable dictionary: Híswelókë.
Soft Mutation
Soft Mutation is the easiest and most commonly needed type of Lenition, because the word that came before it doesn't change. There are several circumstances that call for Soft Mutation:
The word "the" automatically lenites the following word.
Most of the normal prepositions lenite the following word.
Most prefixes lenite the word they are fixed onto. There are exceptions, and we will cover those later.
The direct object of a sentence is lenited.
An adjective modifying a noun is lenited.
An adverb modifying a verb is lenited.
If the letter isn't on the list, it doesn't change.
B -->V
C -->G
D -->DH
G --> ' [in other words, it disappears, and it's disappearance is marked with an apostrophe]
H -->CH
LH -->THL
M -->V
P -->B
RH -->THR
S -->H
T -->D
Special Cases:
B -->M
D -->N
G -->NG
Examples:
"The red seagull" using "i, gwael, caran" makes the phrase, "i 'wael garan."
"I am a brown house" using "ni, bar, baran" makes the phrase, "ni mar varan."
Liquid Mutation
Liquid Mutation is used for prepositions ending in L or R; thus is very rarely found. The last letter of the word before it doesn't change.
B -->V
C -->CH
D -->DH
G -->'
H -->CH
LH -->'L
M -->V
P -->PH
RH -->'R
T -->TH
None of the special cases change.
Examples:
"Over a prison" using "or, gador" makes "or 'ador."
"Behind a book" using "adel, parf" makes "adel pharf."
Nasal Mutation
Nasal Mutation is slightly more difficult, because some of the words change differently when combined.
Use the Nasal Mutation that follows the "in" column with the plural "the" and all of the plural "the" prepositions.
IN+B -->I M
IN+BL -->I ML
IN+BR -->I MR
IN+C -->I CH
IN+D -->I N
IN+F -->I F
IN+G -->I NG
IN+GL -->IN GL
IN+GR -->IN GR
IN+GW -->IN GW
IN+H -->I CH
IN+HW -->I 'W
IN+L -->I L
IN+LH -->I 'L
IN+M -->I M
IN+N -->I N
IN+P -->I PH
IN+R -->IDH R
IN+RH -->IDH 'R
IN+S -->I S
IN+T -->I TH
IN+TH -->I TH
IN+TR -->I THR
Special Cases:
IN+B -->I MB
IN+D -->I ND
IN+G -->IN G
Use the Nasal Mutation that follows the "an" column with all of the normal prepositions and prefixes that end with an N.
AN+B -->AM M
AN+BL -->A ML
AN+BR -->A MR
AN+C -->A CH
AN+D -->AN N
AN+F -->AF F
AN+G -->AN NG
AN+GL -->AN GL
AN+GR -->AN GR
AN+GW -->AN GW
AN+H -->A CH
AN+HW -->A 'W
AN+L-->AL L
AN+LH -->AL 'L
AN+M -->AM M
AN+N -->AN N
AN+P -->A PH
AN+R -->ADH R
AN+RH -->ADH 'R
AN+S -->AS S
AN+T -->A TH
AN+TH -->ATH TH
AN+TR -->A THR
Special Cases:
AN+B -->AM MB
AN+D -->AN ND
AN+G -->AN G
Examples:
"The brothers" using "in, tyr" makes "i thyr."
"To a battle" using "an, dagor" makes "an ndagor"
Mixed Mutation
Mixed Mutation is like a combination between Nasal and Soft Mutation.
"The" prepositions lenite the word that follows them with Mixed Mutation, but only "en" is changed. The rest are don't change with this lenition.
EN+B -->E-B
EN+BL -->E-ML
EN+BR -->E-MR
EN+C -->E-G
EN+D -->E-D
EN+DR -->EN-DR
EN+F -->EN-F
EN+G -->E-G
EN+GL -->EN-GL
EN+GR -->EN-GR
EN+GW -->EN-GW
EN+H -->E-H
EN+HW -->E-'W
EN+L -->E-L
EN+LH -->E-'L
EN+M -->E-M
EN+P -->E-B
EN+PR -->E-BR
EN+R -->EDH-R
EN+RH -->E-'R
EN+S -->E-H
EN+T -->E-D
EN+TH -->E-TH
EN+TR -->EN-DR
Special Cases:
EN+B -->E-MB
EN+D -->E-ND
EN+G -->EN-G
Examples:
"Lady of the tree" using "hiril, en, galadh" makes "hiril-e-galadh."
"In the mine" using "min, sabar" makes "min habar."
Stop Mutation
Stop Mutation is used for normal prepositions and prefixes ending in D. From/of "o(d)" also uses this type of Lenition, though it doesn't change.
ED+B -->E B
ED+C -->E CH
ED+D -->E D
ED+F -->EF F
ED+G -->E G
ED+H -->E CH
ED+HW -->E 'W
ED+LH -->E THL
ED+M -->E M
ED+N -->E N
ED+P -->E PH
ED+RH -->E THR
ED+S -->ES S
ED+T -->E TH
ED+TH -->ETH TH
Special Cases:
ED+B -->E MB
ED+D -->E ND
ED+G -->EN G
Examples:
"A man from Gondor" using "benn, o, Gondor" makes "benn o Gondor."
"Out of a sling" using "ed, hadlath" makes "e chadlath."
Lenition is very hard to remember, so print out this chart and keep it close to you until you have it completely memorized.
| Soft (i) | Liquid (or) | Nasal (in) | Nasal (an) | Mixed (en) | Stop (ed) |
| B --> | I V | OR V | I M | AM M | E-B | E B |
| BL --> | " | " | " | A ML | E-ML | " |
| BR --> | " | " | " | A MR | E-MR | " |
| C --> | I G | OR CH | I CH | A CH | E-G | E CH |
| D --> | I DH | OR DH | I N | AN N | E-D | E D |
| DR --> | " | " | " | " | EN-DR | " |
| F --> | - | - | I F | AF F | - | EF F |
| G --> | I ' | OR ' | I NG | AN NG | E-G | E G |
| GL --> | " | " | IN GL | AN GL | EN-GL | " |
| GR --> | " | " | IN GR | AN GR | EN-GR | " |
| GW --> | " | " | IN GW | AN GW | EN-GW | " |
| H --> | I CH | OR CH | I CH | A CH | E-H | E CH |
| HW --> | " | " | I 'W | A 'W | E-'W | E 'W |
| L --> | - | - | I L | AL L | E-L | - |
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| LH --> | I THL | OR 'L | I 'L | AL 'L | E-'L | E THL |
| M --> | I V | OR V | I M | AM M | E-M | E M |
| N --> | - | - | I N | - | - | E N |
| P --> | I B | OR PH | I PH | A PH | E-B | E PH |
| R --> | - | - | IDH R | ADH R | EDH-R | - |
| RH --> | I THR | OR 'R | IDH 'R | ADH 'R | E-'R | E THR |
| S --> | I H | - | I S | AS S | E-H | ES S |
| T --> | I D | OR TH | I TH | A TH | E-D | E TH |
| TR --> | " | " | " | " | EN-DR | " |
| TH --> | - | - | I TH | ATH TH | E-TH | ETH TH |
Special Cases: |
| B --> | I M | - | I MB | AM MB | E-MB | E MB |
| D --> | I N | - | I ND | AN ND | E-ND | E ND |
| G --> | I NG | - | - | - | - | - |
Homework
Symbols that you may need:
áéíóúý
ÁÉÍÓÚÝ
âêîôûŷ
ÂÊÎÔÛŶ
Wordbank
Nouns:
Baur (need)
Crist (sword)
Cugu (dove)
Solch (root)
Minuial (daybreak)
Lhewig (ear)
Noss (family)
Rhach (curse)
Tham (hall)
Trenarn (story)
Adjectives:
Bell (strong)
Doll (dark)
Drammen (hewn)
Gael (glimmering)
Gwathui (shadowy)
Hae (distant)
Hwiniol (fantastic)
Raeg (wrong)
Taer (straight)
Adverbs:
Dadbenn (downwards)
Farn (enough)
Lim (fast)
Mae (well)
Palan (afar)
Sennui (rather)
Lenite all of the nouns and adjectives in the word banks with Soft Lenition.
Baur - maur
Crist - grist
Cugu - gugu
Solch - holch
Minuial - vinuial
Lhewig - thlewig
Noss - noss
Rhach - thrach
Tham - tham
Trenarn - drenarn
Bell - vell
Doll - noll
Drammen - dhramem
Gael - ngael
Gwathui - ’wathui
Hae - chae
Hwiniol - chwiniol
Raeg - raeg
Taer - daer
Lenite all of the nouns in the word banks with Liquid Lenition using (adel).
Baur - adel baur
Crist - adel christ
Cugu - adel chugu
Solch - adel solch
Minuial - adel vinuial
Lhewig - adel ‘lewig
Noss - adel noss
Rhach - adel ‘rach
Tham - adel tham
Trenarn - adel threnarn
Lenite all of the nouns in the word banks with Nasal Lenition using (dan) and make the nouns plural and use the plural (anin).
Baur - dam mbaur / ani mboer
Crist - da christ / ani christ
Cugu - da chugu / ani chygu
Solch - das solch / ani sylch
Minuial - dam minuial / ani minuiail
Lhewig - dal ‘lewig / ani ‘lewig
Noss - dan noss / ani nyss
Rhach - dadh ‘rach / anidh ‘raich
Tham - dath tham / ani thaim
Trenarn - da threnarn / ani threnairn
Lenite all of the nouns in the word banks with Mixed Lenition using (en).
Baur - e-mbaur
Crist - e-grist
Cugu - e-gugu
Solch - e-holch
Minuial - e-minuial
Lhewig - e-‘lewig
Noss - en-noss
Rhach - e-‘rach
Tham - e-tham
Trenarn - en-drenarn
Lenite all of the nouns in the word banks with Stop Lenition using (ned).
Baur - Ne mbaur
Crist - Ne christ
Cugu - Ne chugu
Solch - Nes solch
Minuial - Ne minuial
Lhewig - Ne thlewig
Noss - Ne noss
Rhach - Ne thrach
Tham - Neth tham
Trenarn - Ne threnarn
Translate the following phrases into Sindarin, and remember to look up the word roots in the Sindarin Dictionary:
The daybreaks are rather fantastic. - I minuiail sennui hwinyl.
In the shadowy hall, a hewn root is the fast-glimmering doves of the family. - Min tham noll solch dhrammen i chygu lim ngael en-noss.
Enough wrong curses are upon a straight downwards story. - Rhaich farn raeg or threnarn dadbenn daer.
Translate the folllowing sentences into English:
A threnarn mae vell, e mbaur chae, crist palan. - To a well-strong story, out of distant need, a sword is afar.
I 'law nyll ne minuial. - The dark ears are in daybreak.
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