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KWI root. “suppose”

KWI root. “suppose”
KEY “*suppose”

A root Tolkien introduced in the late 1960s with the gloss “suppose”, appearing beside √KE “maybe” (PE22/158). It also had an extended (verbal) form √KWIS “inquire, suppose” in this same document. This late root may have been a restoration of much earlier ᴱ√IQI “request, ask for” from the Qenya Lexicon of the 1910s, whose derivatives had to do with requests and requirements (QL/43).

The roots √KWI and √KE were in competition in the late 1960s as the basis for “if” words in hypthotheticals; see the entry on √KE/EKE for these alternatives.

Neo-Eldarin: For purposes of Neo-Eldarin I think it is best to use √KWI for “if” and √KE for “maybe”; I also think √KWI(S) “inquire” can be used to justify the restoration of some of the derivatives of early ᴱ√IQI, via a hypothetical Neo-Eldarin root ᴺ√IKWI(S) “request, ask for”.

References ✧ PE22/158; VT49/19

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