Nouns and Plurals
Sindarin Grammar 1
Course 1 · Chapter 3 · Nouns and Plurals
Sindarin nouns have no case endings and no gender, so the noun system is small. What it does have is one of the most distinctive features of the language: the plural is made by changing a vowel inside the word. This chapter teaches that change, the article that goes with it, and the exceptions. Every form below is labelled as attested unless the chapter says otherwise.
The Article
Sindarin has a word for "the" and none for "a". The singular article is i. Its plural is in.
The effect of the article on the next word, the mutation, is the subject of Chapter 4. For now, note only that i and in can change how the following word begins.
Plurals by Vowel Change
There are three patterns, depending on where the vowel sits in the word.
1. Interior vowels (not in the last syllable)
The vowels e, i, y and the long vowels do not change here.
2. The last syllable
3. A final vowel before one consonant: the "intrusion"
If the word ends in a single consonant, an i can also appear inside the last syllable, so the vowel becomes a diphthong.
So adan → edain uses two of these at once: the first a changes to e, and the last syllable gets an intruded i.
Exceptions and Special Cases
- Diphthongs (ae, ei, ai, ui) do not usually change, and never change in a non-final syllable.
- Clusters: a final m or ng resists the intrusion (cam → cem "hand" → "hands"), but ss, ll, nn do not (lass → lais "leaf" → "leaves"). The digraphs ph, th, ch, dh count as one consonant (rath → raith "street" → "streets").
- Compounds: usually only the last element changes (calardan → celerdain), though some change throughout.
- One-syllable words with ô are written ui in the plural: dôr → duir "land" → "lands". (An older proposal had ô → ŷ.)
Class Plurals
Beside the ordinary plural, Sindarin has a class plural, which names a whole group or kind of thing. It is made with endings such as -ath, -hoth or -rim: elenath "all the stars" and Nogothrim "the race of the Dwarves". English has no regular equivalent, though "kind" or "the whole host" come close.
| Singular | Plural | Rule used | Gloss |
|---|---|---|---|
| adan | edain | interior a → e; intrusion | men |
| edhel | edhil | final e → i | elves |
| hên | hîn | final ê → î | children |
| orch | yrch | final o → y | orcs |
| bâr | bair | intrusion â → ai | homes |
| naug | noeg | intrusion au → oe | dwarves |
- "Every Sindarin plural changes the last vowel." Interior vowels change too, and the last may stay the same.
- "Sindarin has a plural ending." It does not for ordinary nouns; the class plural is the only regular ending.
- "The plural of 'elf' is Quenya eldar." That is Quenya (Tolkien's Languages 5); Sindarin says edhil.
Hands-On Exercises
Give the plural of edhel, hên, orch and bâr, and say which rule applies to each. Then say how the article changes from i adan to the plural.
📄 View solutionExplain why adan becomes edain rather than edan or adain, naming the two changes. Then give the plural of dôr "land" and cam "hand" and say why each behaves as it does.
📄 View solutionExplain the difference between the ordinary plural and the class plural, using edain and elenath. Say which you would use for "all the stars" and why.
📄 View solutionChapter 3 Quick Reference
- Article: singular i, plural in; no word for "a"
- Plural by vowel change: interior a → e, o → e, u → y; final a → e, e → i, ê → î, o → y
- Intrusion before one final consonant: â → ai, ô → ui, au → oe (adan → edain)
- Exceptions: diphthongs stay; final m/ng resist intrusion; compounds change at the end
- Class plural: -ath, -hoth, -rim (elenath, Nogothrim)