View Single Post
Old 12-10-2007, 11:08 PM   #49
William Cloud Hicklin
Loremaster of Annúminas
 
William Cloud Hicklin's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2006
Posts: 2,330
William Cloud Hicklin is battling Black Riders on Weathertop.William Cloud Hicklin is battling Black Riders on Weathertop.William Cloud Hicklin is battling Black Riders on Weathertop.
Ok, at http://sindanorie.lima-city.de/RS&TI&WR.htm there's more info than my feeble linguistic ability can absorb (note at the bottom of the page). In pertinent part, we learn that


Quote:
At the same time {i.e. the Gnomish Lexicon] -ion is the genitive plural of consonantal nouns, e.g. glôr 'gold' > glorion....

By the time of The Etymologies Noldorin, Ilkorin and Doriathrin are the languages of the Celtic branch. Both -on and -ion occur as agentive suffixes, as in #faron 'hunter' (SPAR-), Dúrion/durion 'a Dark-elf' (DOƷ-, DÔ-, MOR-) or else form names as Mirion 'ordinary N name of the Silevril (Silmarilli)' (MIR-), Gelion 'merry singer', also a river (GYEL-). Probably associated with this is the patronymic suffix -ion < YŌ, YON- 'son'.......
There's also Erchamion, expressly Noldorin (=Ilk Ermabuin).

But only in part. There's much, much more. Through all of Tolkien's *constant* changes of mind I think what I've learned is that Tolkien happened to like the sound of -on, -ion as an ending, and then had to explain all the different ways he used it! There is also a whole stack of geographical -ions: Eregion, Dorwinion, Dorthonion, Erydwethion, etc.
__________________
The entire plot of The Lord of the Rings could be said to turn on what Sauron didn’t know, and when he didn’t know it.
William Cloud Hicklin is offline   Reply With Quote