-ma

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-ma is a Quenya nominal (concretizing) ending denoting a thing (usually object) having something to do with the root meaning; either having its properties or being produced by the verbal action in question; or even being a tool used to accomplish it.

In general, -ma seems to be stuck to naked roots or stems to produce the nouns. Eg. RIL > rilma "glittering light"; verb stems par- "to learn" > parma "book". However, full nouns can also be suffixed with -ma to produce another object: Eg. líco "wax" > lícuma "candle".

Etymology[edit | edit source]

-ma derives from Primitive Quendian -mâ frequent in the names of implements.[1] Such PQ nouns have yielded Quenya -ma nouns, for example tuimâ > tuima or sjalmâ > hyalma.

In some phonological environments, -ma appears in allomorphs in later Quenya: Nouns in -wa or -ba might conceal a primitive -mâ. For example PQ labmâ > Q lamba (metathesis of bm to mb) or PQ takmâ > Q tangwa (nasalization and strengthening of k before m and velarization of m).[2]

It is obviously related to similar endings like -mo (which indicates a person or doer) or -me (which form a more abstract noun) which behave and operate similarly. For example alma "wealth" vs alme "blessing", carma "tool" vs carme "art".

Examples[edit | edit source]

A list of most known Quenya nouns that include the suffix -ma, along with the words' root, and Primitive Quendian origins where they are known.

Other possible examples[edit | edit source]

Many Quenya nouns might end in -ma however that does not indicate the existence of a suffixed -ma proper ending. For example, the word ráma derives from a root RAM[3]. Therefore it is not analyzed as **rá-ma but as rám-a.

There are other nouns of such ambiguous etymology, as for example lamma "sound" from root LAM. It could be analyzed as LAM + -ma but also the double mm might simply be the result of antoryame (q.v.) of the radical consonant LAM.

Nouns of ambiguous or unknown etymology that might contain -ma are:

cauma "protection", emma "picture", erma "physical mater, farma, lamma "sound", namma "claw, talon", orma "physical matter", querma "spinning wheel", síma "mind, imagination", solma (also sól) "helmet", súma "hollow cavity"

Cognates[edit | edit source]

Because of lenition and apocope of final vowels, all endings -ma, -me and -mo have been reduced to a final -v in Sindarin which doesn't seem to work as a productive suffix. In some cases it even has disappeared according to the phonological environment. For example Q. tengwa > S. têw

Inspiration[edit | edit source]

-ma is a frequent ending of Greek neutral nouns, such as thelema, schema, stigma, enigma etc.[4]

References

  1. ↑ J.R.R. Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien (ed.), The War of the Jewels p.416
  2. ↑ Helge Fauskanger, Vicente Velasco (ed.) The Evolution from Primitive Elvish to Quenya
  3. ↑ J.R.R. Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien (ed.), The Lost Road and Other Writings, Part Three: "The Etymologies", entry RAM
  4. ↑ Lise Mann "Elvish Loanwords in Indo-European" An Introduction to Elvish
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