4.2  A-affection

Adjectival endings like -imā or -(r)inā are found in many Elvish words. In Noldorin and Sindarin we see a shift i > e caused by final -ā [7]. In the sources discussed three forms look like candidates for the lack of a-affection:

• Celebrin ’of silver’ < *kyelep-rinā
• Palathrin ’Gladden river’ < palath ’iris, gladden’ + -rinā
• Nenvithim ’Hoardales’ < #mithim ’hoar’ < *mithimā
• Neleg Thilim ’the Gleaming Tooth’ < *thilimā ’(white) gleaming’

A-affection in isolated words is seen in:

• ernen *’single’ < erninā
• coren *’circular/enclosing’ < *korinā

Three names (if correctly analyzed) show forms with a-affection medially in a compound:

• #borthen *’steadful’ (from Borthendor) < *bortinā
• Calenhir *’green/bright river’, Calenardhon *’green realm’ < *kalinā (also Kalenarda)

One name probably shows no a-affection medially:

• melinon *’yellow one’ < malina < *malinā

With adjectives in such a position it probably depends on the time of compound formation – whether before or after the shift i > e. Thus Melthinorn *’Gold-tree’ (a name of Laurelin; SMAL-) beside N. malthen ’of gold’ is an ancient name from the First Age, whereas Calenardhon, Calenhir, Borthendor are regions named in the Third Age.