Muta cum liquida in JRRT (was "Double stressed" words)

Hello,

John wrote:
> > Yes, but there is no _muta cum liquida_ rule.
>
> More accurately, Tolkien didn't mention one, but he may have taken
> the point for granted (viz. that a stop followed by l/r is part of the
> onset of the following syllable and does not by itself make
> the previous syllable heavy).
You've nailed the problem.

In fact, I have published an article in the journal of St Petersburg's
Tolkien Society where I argue exactly for this - that Sindarin had a
_muta cum liquida_ rule. (But we were speaking of Quenya, and it can't
have anything of the like, since _muta cum liquida_ requires complex
onsets, and these are an absolute no-no)

> However, the poem in Boromir's dream beginning "Seek for the
> Sword that was broken / In Imladris it dwells" strongly suggests
> that "Imladris" had antepenultimate stress.
Yes, I noted that as well.

However, evidence from verse can be quite confusing. Thus, in _The Lay
of Leithian_, _Nargothrond_ seems to be regularly stressed on the first
and third syllables rather than on the second one as App. E suggests.
But cf. verses 2107-2110:

Come, tell me true, O Morgoth's thralls,
what then in Elfinesse befalls?
What of Nargothrond? Who reigneth there?
Into that realm did your feet dare?

On the other hand, Gandalf's opening spell does suggest that _thr_
yields a closed syllable:

Annon edhellen, edro hi ammen
- x x - x - x x - x
Fennas nogothrim, lasto beth lammen
- x x - x - x - - x

_nògothrim_ / _nògothrìm_ wouldn't scan there.

The stress in _Esgalduin_ can be seen (in the Leithian) both according
to App. E as in verse 874:

She stood above Esgalduin's shore
x - x - x - x -

or contrary to it, as just a few verses apart, verse 861

Murmurless Esgalduin doth flow
x - x - x - x -

There again, _Esgalduin_ can , in accordance with _ui_ being a long
diphthong, occupy four beats, and then the stress is again
not-quite-AppE, e. g. verse 61:

Esgalduin that fairies call
x - x - x - x -

There are anumber of examples in verse where elvish words have the
'wrong stress' in order to scan and rhyme:

of Feanor's sons, who takes or steals
or finding keeps the Silmarils
(1640-1)

But there of Finrod's children four
were Angrod slain and proud Egnor.
Felagund and Orodreth then
gathered the remnant of their men
(1696-99)

Lo! Celegorm and Curufin
here dwell this very realm within
(1824-5)

In _The Lay of the Children of Húrin_, a word like _Thangorodrim_
participates in the th-alliteration as the first lift of the second
half-verse, and this must be stressed on the first syllable, but
Sindarin didn't have a retraction period (at least it's not mentioned),
and so hardly warrants a stress on the first syllable.

Etc. etc. So evidence form verse is something to be cautious about here.

Pavel
--
Pavel Iosad               pavel_iosad@mail.ru

Nid byd, byd heb wybodaeth
                 --Welsh saying

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