Pronounce this and ...

[Marille]

Can someone pronounce this for me, and I have a question, what if you wanted to had a "s" on to a word and wanted to make it plural how would you do it in Elvish? Like what word or letter would you add on?

Anyway heres the word ....

Maegluinhén

[Darth Tater]

I'm not sure about the plural thing but I believe the pronunciation is my ay glue een hane if that makes any sense ;)

[bropous]

I would think, at least in some Elven languages, the plural is indicated by the addition of "i" at the end, such as in "Avari" or "Teleri."

I could very well be wrong, I am no Elven linguist.

[Michael Martinez]

Maeg luin hen are three Sindarin words, and if you are trying to combine them into a name, it would mean something like "sharp (glance)" + "blue" +"eye". Piercing blue eye, I suppose, is what you're after. I think the plural form may be made by adding "-nath": Maegluinhennath.

You probably want to check out Helge Fauskanger's Ardalambion site to learn more about the rules of Elvish:

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

He deals more with Quenya than with Sindarin. David Salo is probably the leading expert on Sindarin. He and his wife Dorothea founded the Elfling mailing list:

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/elfling/

It's a very intense linguistic environment, but you may get some help there, if you're not satisfied with the answers here. There are some true scholars there, and some unpleasant people, so your mileage may vary.

[Ñólendil]

I'm altogether unfamiliar with Sindarin plurals, but in Quenya you can make a word plural by adding an 'r' onto the end if the word ends in a vowel (unless it ends in 'e', in which case the 'e' is usually replaced with an 'i'). If the word ends in a consonant, just add an 'i' on to it.

Thus the plural of ráma ('wing') is rámar ('wings'), the plural of Quendë ('Elf') is Quendi ('Elves'), and Atan ('Man') is Atani ('Men').

I think it's much more complicated in Sindarin.

[Marille]

Thanks guys! :D Yes "piercing blue eyes" is what I was going for. Because my friend who is semi-interested in Tolkien wanted me to translate what she wanted to be her Elvish name LOL,she told me she wanted it to mean that. Yeah her eyes are blue, but I don't know how "piercing" they are . LOL! :rolleyes:

[Michael Martinez]

Originally posted by Marille
Thanks guys! :D Yes "piercing blue eyes" is what I was going for. Because my friend who is semi-interested in Tolkien wanted me to translate what she wanted to be her Elvish name LOL,she told me she wanted it to mean that. Yeah her eyes are blue, but I don't know how "piercing" they are . LOL! :rolleyes:

Far be it from me to judge the lady's looks, but I think the name is unwieldy. She may want to seek something more concise, possibly with a poetic allusion to piercing blue eyes. "Tinuviel" means "daughter of the twilight", for example, but it's a name for the nightingale bird. It became one of Luthien's nicknames.

[bropous]

Marille, good on you for taking the initiative of piecing this name together for your friend, and don't change it; it is a fine name, and in need of no editing, nor of further "poeticization." It's beautiful as is. Well done.

However, poor lady if she DOES have "piercing blue eyes".....has to be extremely uncomfortable for her eyelids! *wink!*

[Laurelyn]

I'm clueless on this one. . . but the info and pronuciation is cool.

[Wayfarer]

I would pronounce it 'Mag loon hen', but then, I'm a dunderhead.

You would be perfectly justified in snippin goff the 'hen'. After all, 'maeg' is 'sharp glance' and so 'maegluin' would be 'sharp blue glance' or, figuratively 'piercing blue eyes'.

It's a bit easier to pronounce/say, as well. ]: )

~Ersaeliphant,
Resident Linguistic Dunderhead, and Name Translator Extroidinaire,

[Marille]

:D Thanks everyone! :D

[cian]

For possible interests sake, the name Maeglin "Sharp-glance" derives from elements (according to War of the Jewels):

mik pierce ... maiká sharp, penetrating. Compare Quenya Hendumaika "Sharp-eye", Sindarin maecheneb

and

glim gleam, glint (usually of fine slender but bright shafts of light) Particularly applied to light of eyes. Compare S. glintha- "glance (at)", glînn

---------------
Gwaew ciriel be vegil maeg
"Wind cutting as a sharp sword."
(David Salo)