S. voiced stops became spirants after liquids; [{rl}{bdg}] > [{rl}{vðɣ}]

S. voiced stops became spirants after liquids; [{rl}{bdg}] > [{rl}{vðɣ}]

In Sindarin and Noldorin voiced stops became spirants after the liquids [l] and [r]; voiceless stops underwent a similar development, though the mechanism was different. These combinations went through a nearly identical development in Welsh (WGHC/§105ii). In fact, Tolkien compared Sindarin to Welsh to describe this sound change:

The much changed Sindarin of Middle-earth turned the stops to spirants after l, r, as did Welsh: so *alkwa > alpa (Telerin) > S. alf (spelt alph in my transcription) (VT42/7). [Although Tolkien uses a voiceless stop in this example, it seems this rule applies to voiced stops as well.]

This sound change is most obvious in the case of lb, rb > lv, rv (written lf, rf finally) and rd > rdh:

The development of ld > ldh [lð] is obscured by the fact that it seems the resulting [lð] became [ll], as suggested by David Salo in Gateway to Sindarin (GS/§4.86, GS/§4.157). There are unfortunately no published examples that show the full development, so the exact series of sound changes is unclear:

In the case of lg, rg > lgh, rgh [lɣ, rɣ], the resulting [ɣ] typically developed into a vowel, such as becoming [i] medially. The clearest examples of this phonetic development are from Noldorin (with likely intermediate developments added for clarity):

Where the resulting [ɣ] becomes final after short final vowels vanished, the final [ɣ] became [a] instead. Again, the clearest examples are from Noldorin:

There seems to be at least one Sindarin example of [-lga] > [-lɣ(a)] > [-la] (with the likely intermediate development added):

In both Sindarin and Noldorin, voiced stops can follow liquids in some compounds:

It is possible that the spirantalization of voiced stops after liquids was no longer an active sound change in Sindarin and did not apply to later compounds. This might actually be the case in Sindarin names from Gondor, but another likely explanation is that the second element of these compounds originally began with a nasalized stop, and the spirantalization was prevented by the intervening nasal which was later lost. This explanation can be applied to most if not all of the examples above, such S. bardor whose primitive form is given as bar-ndor (PE17/164). For further information, see the discussion of the liquid mutation.

Conceptual Development: The Gnomish and Early Noldorin developments are complicated by the fact that voiced spirants were part of the phonetic inventory for Primitive Elvish in the 1910s and and 1920s. This means Gnomish and Early Noldorin rdh could be a preservation of primitive [rð] rather than a development from [rd]. As suggested by Roman Rausch in his Historical Phonology of Goldogrin (HPG/§2.3), there are hints that the Gnomish developments might have been different from later Sindarin/Noldorin. In particular, there are examples of medial ld in Gnomish that cannot be explained away by compounds:

Here it seems primitive [lð] > [ld]. However, the usual development of primitive [ld] in Gnomish was to [ll]:

This makes the Sindarin/Noldorin development of [ld] > [lð] > [ll] problematic, because it is unlikely we both have [ld] > [lð] and [lð] > [ld]; perhaps [ld] > [ll] directly, and then later [lð] > [ld]. Regardless of the details it is clear the phonetic developments during this early conceptual stage were not completely the same as later Sindarin/Noldorin. Lack of examples in the Early Noldorin of the 1920s also makes it difficult to determine the sound changes at this stage, though there are examples showing that at least [rd] > [rð]:

References ✧ UT/265; VT42/7

Order (00500)

Before 02900 [ɣ] became [i] between sonants and vowels ON. Dirghel > N. Diriel
ᴹ✶stalgondō > N. thalion
Ety/DER
Ety/STÁLAG
Before 05100 [lð] became [ll] tindōmi-sel(dĕ) > tindúmhihel > S. Tinnúviel
ᴹ√TIL > tild > N. till
PE19/73
Ety/TIL
Before 05400 middle consonants frequently vanished in clusters bar-ndor > S. bardor PE17/164

Phonetic Rule Elements

[lb] > [lv]
[rb] > [rv]
[ld] > [lð]
[rd] > [rð]
[lg] > [lɣ]
[rg] > [rɣ]

Phonetic Rule Examples

alba > alva lb > lv GAL-AB > S. alf ✧ PE17/153
elda > elða ld > lð eldā > S. ell ✧ PE17/141
elda > elða ld > lð Q. elda > eld > S. †ell ✧ PE17/141
elda > elða ld > lð eldā > S. Ell- ✧ WJ/363
kulda > kulða ld > lð kuldā > S. coll ✧ WJ/414
meldondo > melðondo ld > lð mel- > S. mellon ✧ SA/mel
noldo > nolðo ld > lð Q. ñoldo > nold > S. noll ✧ PE17/141
tarxildi > tarxilði ld > lð tarkhildī > S. **terchil ✧ PE17/101
tindōmihelde > tindōmihelðe ld > lð tindōmi-sel(dĕ) > tindúmhihel > S. Tinnúviel ✧ PE19/73
ɸelga > ɸelɣa lg > lɣ phelga > S. fela ✧ NM/304
ɸelga > ɸelɣa lg > lɣ phelgā > S. fela ✧ PE17/118
ɸelgi > ɸelɣi lg > lɣ phelgai > felʒi > S. fili ✧ NM/304
barda > barða rd > rð mbardā̆ > S. barð ✧ PE17/164
garda > garða rd > rð gardā > S. gardh ✧ WJ/402
gorde > gorðe rd > rð GOR > S. gorð ✧ NM/176
gurda > gurða rd > rð GUR > S. gorð ✧ PE17/154

N. voiced stops became spirants after liquids; [{rl}{bdg}] > [{rl}{vðɣ}]

GS/§4.86 WGHC/§105ii @@@

Order (00600)

Before 02700 [ɣ] became [i] between sonants and vowels ON. Dirghel > N. Diriel
ᴹ✶stalgondō > N. thalion
Ety/DER
Ety/STÁLAG
Before 05100 [lð] became [ll] or [lt] ON. belda > N. belt
ᴹ√TIL > tild > N. till
Ety/BEL
Ety/TIL

Related

Phonetic Rule Elements

[lb] > [lv]
[rb] > [rv]
[ld] > [lð]
[rd] > [rð]
[lg] > [lɣ]
[rg] > [rɣ]

Phonetic Rule Examples

golba > golva lb > lv ᴹ✶golbā > N. golf ✧ Ety/GÓLOB
belde > belðe ld > lð ON. belda > N. belt ✧ Ety/BEL
galdor > galðor ld > lð ᴹ√GALA > Galdor > N. Gallor ✧ Ety/GALA
golda > golða ld > lð ᴹ✶ngolda > N. goll ✧ Ety/ÑGOL
jelde > jelðe ld > lð ᴹ√YEL > N. iell ✧ Ety/YEL
kulda > kulða ld > lð ᴹ✶kuldā > N. coll ✧ Ety/KUL
m̥alda > m̥alða ld > lð ON. malda > N. (h)malt ✧ EtyAC/SMAL
m̥aldina > m̥alðina ld > lð ᴹ√SMAL > N. mallen ✧ Ety/SMAL
m̥aldini > m̥alðini ld > lð ᴹ√SMAL > N. Mellin ✧ Ety/SMAL
melda > melða ld > lð ᴹ√MEL > N. mell ✧ Ety/MEL
meldondo > melðondo ld > lð ᴹ√MEL > meldon > N. mellon ✧ EtyAC/MEL
selde > selðe ld > lð ᴹ√SEL-D > N. †sell ✧ Ety/SEL-D
tilde > tilðe ld > lð ᴹ√TIL > tild > N. till ✧ Ety/TIL
tindūmihelde > tindūmihelðe ld > lð ᴹ✶Tindōmiselde > ON. tindūmhiell ✧ Ety/TIN
ulda > ulða ld > lð ᴹ✶ulda > old > N. oll ✧ Ety/ULU
θalga > θalɣa lg > lɣ ON. sthalga > N. thala ✧ Ety/STÁLAG
θalgondi > θalɣondi lg > lɣ ᴹ✶stalgondō > N. thelyn ✧ Ety/STÁLAG
θalgondo > θalɣondo lg > lɣ ᴹ✶stalgondō > N. thalion ✧ Ety/STÁLAG
θelge > θelɣe lg > lɣ ᴹ√STELEG > N. thela ✧ Ety/STELEG
ulg- > ulɣ- lg > lɣ ᴹ√ÚLGU > N. Ul- ✧ Ety/ÚLUG
ulgundo > ulɣundo lg > lɣ ᴹ✶ulgundō > ulund > N. ulun ✧ Ety/ÚLUG
ɸelga > ɸelɣa lg > lɣ ON. phelga > N. fela ✧ Ety/PHÉLEG
ɸelgi > ɸelɣi lg > lɣ ON. phelga > N. fili ✧ Ety/PHÉLEG
xerbenno > xervenno rb > rv ᴹ√KHER > N. hervenn ✧ Ety/KHER
xerbesse > xervesse rb > rv ᴹ√KHER > N. hervess ✧ Ety/KHER
arda > arða rd > rð ᴹ√ƷAR > N. ardh ✧ Ety/ƷAR
kard > karð rd > rð ᴹ√KAR > N. carð ✧ Ety/KAR
n̥arda > n̥arða rd > rð ᴹ√SNAR > N. narð ✧ Ety/SNAR
n̥urda > n̥urða rd > rð ᴹ√SNUR > N. norð ✧ Ety/SNUR
dirgel > dirɣel rg > rɣ ON. Dirghel > N. Diriel ✧ Ety/DER
targa > tarɣa rg > rɣ ON. targa > N. tara ✧ Ety/TÁRAG
targa > tarɣa rg > rɣ ON. targa > targh > N. tara ✧ PE22/34
targasse > tarɣasse rg > rɣ ᴹ√TÁRAG > N. tarias ✧ Ety/TÁRAG