It seems to me that some of the Khazad who have been raised in the western
regions, far from the Lonely Mountain and the triple peaks, have found
difficulty in selecting an 'open' name for themselves and their children.
I speak not in this public forum about our secret names, but about the
names that we have traditionally used in the world of Men. Among the
children of Durin, these names have come from the languages of Men, northern
Men of the vales of Anduin and of Dale. But of course we have not
generally selected these names according to the meanings of their roots
in the Dale-talk. We have chosen them on the basis of the resonances of
their elements with the meaning-gems of Khuzdul.
The rules of formation of a public name are simple, but apparently the
troubles which have beset our people have caused many to forget them.
All public names of the people of Durin are composed of two syllables,
the 'leader' and the 'follower', although they may be collapsed into
a single syllable in their Westron appearance.
The 'leader' is composed of two parts:
(a) The 'signifier', which, for males, is one of the following elements:
B, D, F, G, K, N, TH, or the void. The signifier is often inherited
in the paternal line by the eldest son. The signifier may be made
'liquid' by the addition of R or W.
(b) The 'force', whose sound represents the cry of the spirit. This can
be of the form A, I, O, or U. E is obviously unlucky; we all know
the unfortunate circumstances which caused Frerin to be named so.
The 'follower' is composed of two parts:
(a) The 'speaker', which is like the signifier but made vocal instead of
physical by softening elements, thus: MB, ND, F, NG, NTH, NGW, the void,
or the water elements L, R, or N. If MB, ND, F, or NG is chosen, then
it can be made liquid with L or R.
(c) The 'speech', whose sound represents the cry of duty. This can be
of the form AN, AR, I, IN, IR, OR, UN, or UR.
When these elements are combined, if the 'force' and the 'speech' contain
the same sound, and if the void was chosen as the speaker, the sound is
given double length and is written in westron as á, íOB, ó, or ú.
Here are some examples:
Signifier: TH
Force: O
Speaker: R
Speech: IN
Producing Thorin. The resonance of the elements with the concepts of
kingliness and bravery, in our own tongue, is unmistakeable.
Signifier: void
Force: O
Speaker: void
Speech: IN
Producing óin.
Signifier: D +liquid W
Force: A
Speaker: L
Speech: IN
Producing Dwalin.
Signifier: N
Force: A
Speaker: void
Speech: AR
Producing Nár.
Sibilants are avoided for obvious reasons, although they are sometimes found
in those few public names which are chosen for women.
I will be criticized for raising these matters publicly, but I hope this
will alleviate the evil of many of our kind appearing under uncouth
appellations whose reflections grate upon our sensibilities.
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