Neo Sindarin - Prepositions

1. Overview

Prepositions are parts of speech that show relationships between words in a sentence.

They often indicate where, when, why, or how something happens.

In Sindarin, when a preposition is used adverbially and follows immediately after a verb or the zero copula, it undergoes soft mutation.

All prepositions that end in a vowel cause soft mutation.

Most that end in a consonant also cause soft mutation, but some prepositions that ended in a consonant back in Common Eldarin cause different mutations.

Prepositions are generally proclitic, so e.g. mîn and trî and mîg can be shortened.

Some experts also think that prepositions are prosodically conditioned in Sindarin. That means that the mutation depends on sound-structure (prosody), not on syntax alone; so if the preposition is prosodically independent (pause, emphasis, rhythmic break), mutation may not occur, even if syntax would allow it.

Definite prepositional forms

Prepositions typically deal with indefinite objects. For example, "mi ham" translates to "in a room". To mark the room as a particular room, the preposition (mi) requires an article.

In both the singular and the plural, the article may appear as a suffix appended to prepositions. This suffix normally has the form -n or -in, but it might look a bit different depending on phonetic rules.

2. Prepositions of space

Prepositions of location

Prepositions of Direction / Goal (movement toward)

Prepositions of Source / Origin (movement away from)

Prepositions of Path / Boundary / Route

3. Prepositions of time

4. Prepositions of association, means, and possession

5. Prepositions of comparison

6. Prepositions of exclusion and opposition

7. Similar prepositions

Some prepositions are very similar and may even have the same form, but mean different things. Here is a breakdown of the apparent collisions.

N(a), na(n) and dan

There are two prepositions that can cause ambiguity as both can be written as na. We distinguish them by how they behave when succeeded by an object starting on a vowel.

N(a)

n(a) is an allative preposition, indicating movement towards something. It is regularly elided to n' before vowels and it triggers soft mutation.

Avoid using n(a) for meanings of time, unless it's to indicate the end of a waiting period, as in na vedui, "at last".

This preposition should not be reduced before a "lost g."

Examples

  Thingol allu adhul na Dhor-Rodyn = "Thingol never returned to Valinor"
  athar dhoer lend n'Eriador       = "beyond leagues wide of Eriador"
  na 'aladh                        = "towards [a] tree"

Na(n)

na(n) is a prepositional genitive, used for partitive relationships. It becomes nan before vowels and triggers nasal mutation.

It indicates a sense of possession or having a certain feature.

Example

  Melian vaea, na nûr idh·Rodyn = "Melian was a Maia, of [the] race [of] the Valar"
  e·chên ereb nan Aragorn       = "the only child of Aragorn"

Dan

dan is a preposition that indicates opposition and is normally translated as "against".

The issue with dan is that it happens to be an nd- word, which means that it soft mutates into nan.

dan also trigger nasal mutation, the same as indefinite na(n).

If one subscribes to the idea that all prepositions heading a predicate should be lenited, that means that predicates starting in dan and indefinite na(n) before vowels may become indistinguishable.

Disambiguation happens by context: if the preposition happens to head a predicate or direct object, it's probably dan. If it doesn't, it's probably na(n):

  te ethir nan in·yrch = "he [is] [a] sentry of the orcs"
  onur nan in·yrch     = "‹he ran› against the orcs" (direct object)

The three o prepositions (about / away from / origin)

There are three different prepositions that have partially coalesced into o:

1. o meaning "about"
2. o meaning "away from" as a movement - away from / due to / from someone or something as a point of departure - has an ablative function
3. o meaning "from" as origin - from inside / out of / originating in - is used for the genitive of origin

This o/od/ui tripartite set is not interchangeable! They mean vastly different things and should be dealt with carefully.

"About"

The easiest one to discern from the others is the first, meaning "about".

Before vowels, this o becomes oh and before consonants, it uses the sibilant mutation. It doesn't change with a definite article.

Before a word starting with an s-, it becomes os. Examples:

   o lhoss       = "about snow", or "concerning snow" (snow = "loss")
   oh edhil      = "about elves", or "concerning elves"
   os sîr        = "about rivers", or "concerning rivers"
   oh i·silevril = "about the silmarils", or "concerning the silmarils"

"Away from"

The second o is an ablative function. Ablative is used to indicate motion away from something.

This preposition causes stop mutation. The definite version of it morphs into od.

This preposition can be compared to Russian от (ot). It typically means movement or relation away from a point. It implies distance or separation, often from a person, object, or source of influence. Examples:

  meno o nin!     = "go [away] from me!"
  ann o mellon    = "[a] gift from [a] friend" (source/person)
  naeg od e·dhram = "pain from the blow" (cause)

"From" (origin)

The last o is used for a genitive function of origin.

This preposition causes soft mutation. The definite version of it morphs into uin as it absorbs the article.

This preposition can be compared to Russian из (iz). It implies that the subject starts inside a place or situation and moves outward. Examples:

  Arwen o Imladris = "Arwen is from Rivendell" (originating from within the place)
  te anu ui vâr    = "he went from the house" ("he left the house") ("house" = bâr) *
  echannen o daw   = "made from wood" (the material out of which something is made) ("wood" = taw)