Since this blog is apparently where I have decided to dump all meta-related thoughts... Here are some thoughts regarding “Silvanizing” Sindarin words that came up on the SWG discord this morning. Sometimes when we write together, we share sentences at the end of the writing session, and that can create conversation.
Me: [My shared sentence] is just meta because thats what i'm working on, but here is my sentence: “While there is conflicting information on Silvan language in the Third Age, Tolkien’s final writing on Silvan language in Mirkwood explains that Oropher and the few Sindarin refugees with him assimilated into Silvan culture, “adopting their language and taking names of Silvan form and style,” which we see explicitly in the name of Oropher’s grandson, Legolas, a “dialectical” or “silvanized” form of the more traditional Sindarin laegolas.”
Other member: do they always do the ae->e in their accent? would Lego say "Medhros"??
Me: As for what Legolas would say... IDK, it depends on which version of woodelf languages in the third age you latch onto, but... There are only about 30 purely nandorin words "recorded" by tolkien, and only in one of those set of words does "ae" appear instead of a simple "a" or "e." "dh" is also a Sindarin spelling whereas Nandorin uses simply "d", so in Silvan/Nandorin, it is safe to assume that words traditionally with "dh" in Sindarin would probably be Silvanized by dropping the H.
So I would conclude by saying it is entirely possible that a strictly Silvan-speaking wood-elf might pronounce/spell/whatever Maedhros as "Madros" or "Medros" instead.
But this is all just inference based on the few, like, clues we get from the nandorin words and silvan-dialectical sindarin words peppered about, really
Love the SWG discord, because I literally would never have been inspired to think about this on my own. Hm... Looking forward to exploring these ideas more another time.
*throws vague thoughts into the tumblr void and wanders away*
