sina

this

sina demonstrative "this" (following its noun in our sole example: vanda sina "this oath"). (CO, VT49:18; in the latter source, sina _is called an adjective). _This word would, like Sindarin hen, be derived from primitive ¤sĭnā (VT49:34). Cf. sin #1.

sina

adjective. this

Derivations

• ✶sĭnā “this” ✧ VT49/18

Element in

• Q. sinar “today, today, [ᴹQ.] this morning”
• Q. vanda sina termaruva Elenna·nóreo alcar enyalien “This oath shall stand in memory of the glory of the Land of the Star” ✧ UT/305

Phonetic Developments

Development	Stages	Sources
✶sĭnā > sina	[sinā] > [sina]	✧ VT49/18

sin

thus

sin (1) a word either meaning "thus" (adverb) or "this" (as an independent word in the sentence, not modifying another word like sina does). Attested in the sentence sin quentë Quendingoldo Elendilenna, either *"this Pengolodh said to Elendil" or "thus spoke Pengolodh to Elendil" (PM:401). Patrick Wynne argues that sin is an adverb "thus" derived from the stem si- "this (by me)" (VT49:18)

ista-

verb. to know

Derivations

• √IS “know” ✧ PE17/155; VT41/06; VT48/25

Element in

• Q. iluisa “omniscient” ✧ VT39/20
• ᴺQ. istalë “information”
• ᴺQ. istanómë “school, academy”
• Q. istan quetë “I can speak, I know how to speak” ✧ PE17/155; PE17/155
• Q. Istar “Wizard, (lit.) One Who Knows”
• Q. istima “wise (in sense knowing very much), knowledgeable, very well informed, learned”
• Q. laista “ignorance, (lit.) not-knowing”
• Q. lá istan “I suppose so, I don’t know” ✧ PE22/158
• Q. sinwa “known, certain, ascertained” ✧ PE17/068
• Q. sívë “knowing, knowledge”

Phonetic Developments

Development	Stages	Sources
√ISI > istan	[istan]	✧ PE17/155
√isi > istan	[istan]	✧ VT41/06
√IS > is-ta	[ista-]	✧ VT48/25

Variations

• ista ✧ PE17/052; PE22/164; VT49/16
• istā ✧ PE22/148 (istā)
• is-ta ✧ VT48/25

si

this

Derivations

• √SI “this, this, [ᴹ√] here, now”

Element in

• ᴺQ. silúmëa “current, contemporary, modern”
• Q. siar(ë) “*today, this day”
• Q. sítë “of this sort”
• Q. umbë nin i hríve nauva urra (si loa) “I have a feeling that winter will be bad (this year)” ✧ PE22/168

Variations

• si ✧ PE22/168

sië

thus

sië adv. "thus" (VT43:24, VT49:18)

sië

adverb. thus

Derivations

• √SI “this, this, [ᴹ√] here, now”

Element in

• Q. násië “*amen, (lit.) may it be so”
• Q. úsië “on the contrary” ✧ VT49/18

Variations

• sie ✧ VT43/24; VT49/18

sen

pronoun. this

Changes

• sĭn → sen ✧ PE17/044
• th[en] → hen ✧ VT50/18

Derivations

• ✶sĭnā “this” ✧ PE17/044; VT49/34

Element in

• S. Celebrimbor o Eregion teithant i thiw hin “Celebrimbor of Hollin drew these signs” ✧ LotR/0305; PE17/044
• S. i glinn hen agorer Edain mi Velerian, ach hí in Ellath îr ed epholar “*this song Men made in Beleriand, but now the Elves alone (?remember) it” ✧ VT50/14; VT50/18; VT50/18

Phonetic Developments

Development	Stages	Sources
✶sĭna > sen	[sinā] > [sina] > [sena] > [sen]	✧ PE17/044

Variations

• sĭn ✧ PE17/044 (sĭn)
• then ✧ VT50/14
• th[en] ✧ VT50/18 (th[en])

hen

pronoun. this

pl1. hin _ dem. pron. _this.

sen

adjective. this

This demonstrative adjective is probably enclitic. We have suggested that this possibility could perhaps explain why the mutated form of tîw on the Doors of Durin is thiw instead of the expected thîw, see HL/69

sen

pronoun. this

pl1. sín {ī}_ dem. pron. _this.

se

pronoun. this

Derivations

• √SI “this, this, [ᴹ√] here, now”

sen

this

*sen, lenited hen. Only attested in lenited pl. form hin* (unlenited sin) ”these” in the Moria Gate inscription (i thiw hin**, ”these letters”).

sen

this

lenited hen. Only attested in lenited pl. form hin (unlenited ✱sin) ”these” in the Moria Gate inscription (i thiw hin, ”these letters”).

sĭnā

adjective. this

Derivatives

• Q. sina “this” ✧ VT49/18
• S. sen “this” ✧ PE17/044; VT49/34

Variations

• sĭna ✧ PE17/044

sin

root. this

ista-

verb. to know

Derivations

• √IS “know” ✧ PE22/129; PE22/134

Variations

• ista ✧ PE22/129; PE22/134; PE22/135; PE22/158
• is-ta ✧ PE22/134

si

root. this, this, [ᴹ√] here, now

Tolkien used √SI as the basis for “near demonstratives” like “here” and “now” from very early in his writings on Elvish. The Qenya Lexicon of the 1910s had two competing roots ᴱ√HYA “this by us” with derivatives like ᴱQ. hyá “here by us” (QL/41) and ᴱ√KI “this by me” with derivative ᴱQ. tyá (< ᴱ✶kı̯-ā) “now” (QL/41, 49). Indications of the latter can be seen words in the contemporaneous Gnomish Lexicon such as G. cî {“now” >>} “here” and G. cîrin “present (place or time), modern” [gloss deleted] (GL/26). However, Tolkien also introduced a new root ᴱ√si(n) “this here by me” with derivatives like G. sî “here” and G. sith “hither” (GL/68). Revisions of Gnomish ci- word glosses indicate Tolkien was vacillating on which forms were temporal and which were spatial.

In The Etymologies Tolkien gave the root ᴹ√SI “this, here, now” with derivatives like ᴹQ. sí or sin “now” and ᴹQ. sinya/N. sein “new” (Ety/SI). The root √SI was mentioned a couple times in Tolkien’s later writings, usually glossed “this” (PE17/67; VT48/25; VT49/18) and in one place with the variant √SIN (PE17/67). This root was not entirely without competition in Tolkien’s later notes, however: in one place he gave primitive ✶khĭn- as the possible basis for Q. hí “here” and S. hí “now” in 1968 notes on demonstratives, though it appeared beside primitive ✶si- forms (VT49/34 note #21).

Derivatives

• ✶sī “this (by me), now or here” ✧ PE17/067
  • Q. sí “now” ✧ PE17/067; VT49/18
  • S. sí “here, in this place (of speaker)” ✧ PE17/067
• Q. si “this”
• Q. sië “thus”
• Q. sin “*thus”
• ᴺS. se “this”
• ᴺS. sin “these”

Element in

• ✶kenásĭta “if it be so, may be, perhaps”
• Q. sinomë “here, (lit.) in this place” ✧ PE17/067
• ᴺS. sî “yet, hither(to), hereto”
• S. sír “*today, this day”

Variations

• SĬ/SĬN ✧ PE17/067; PE17/184
• SI ✧ VT48/25

then

pronoun. this

Element in

• N. Celebrimbor o Eregion teithant i thíw thin “Celebrimbor of Hollin drew these signs” ✧ TI/182