The objective case is formed with the objective inflection -u- and is used only in the initial elements of some compounds (SD/429-30).

Objective Usage

Despite its name, the objective case is not used for the direct object of a verb. Such direct objects are left in the normal case (SD/428):

• Bârim yurahtam dâira “The Lords broke the Earth” (SD/247).

The objective case is only used for the initial elements of compounds, when the element is the object of a second verbal element (SD/429). It appears mainly in Adûnaic names:

• Balkumagân “Shipwright, *Ship-builder” (PM/151).
• Azrubêl “Sea-lover” (PM/373, SD/305, 429).

The objective is often combined with a verb used in an agental-formation, in which case it is the object of that verb (SD/429):

• Azrubêl “Sea-lover” = azra (objective) + bêl- “love” (agental) (PM/373, SD/427).
• izindu-bêth “truth-sayer” = izindi (objective) + bêth (bith-?) “say” (agental) (SD/427).

Other times the objective is used with a noun that is perceived to have a verbal function (SD/429):

• Balkumagân “Shipwright” = balak “boat” (objective) + magân “wright, *builder” = builder of boats (PM/151).
• Minul-târik “Pillar of Heaven” = minal “heaven” (objective) + târik “pillar, that which supports” = that which supports heaven (SD/429).

When nouns are combined without using the objective, the initial noun generally functions as an adjectival or possessive modifier of the second (SD/429):

• minal-târik “heavenly pillar” = a pillar composed of heavenly material, such as clouds (SD/429).
• azra-zâin “sea-lands” = lands made of the sea (SD/429).

The objective form is only used for singular nouns. When plural nouns (or collective-nouns) are in the same position, they are always considered to be in an object-relationship and therefore do not need to be declined into the objective (SD/429):

• Gimilnitîr “Star-kindler” = gimil “all stars” (objective) + nitir- “kindle” (agental) = kindler of all the stars (SD/428).

Where a plural noun needs to be in an adjectival or possessive relationship with another noun, it must be used in conjunction with the genitival prefix an- (SD/429).

• Ârû ’nAdûnâi “King of the Númenóreans” = ârû “king” + an- “of” + Adûnâi “Númenóreans” (plural) (SD/429).

Note the change in word order, as such genitive phrases appear after the noun, as opposed to the objective or adjectival formations which appear before.

Objective Formation

The objective is formed with the objective inflection -u- (SD/430). This inflection changes the last vowel of a strong-noun (those with a short vowel in the last syllable) and is added as a suffix to a weak-noun (those with a long vowel or diphthong in the last syllable).

• Strong: khibil “pool” → khibul (objective, SD/430).
• Strong: raba “dog” → rabu (objective, SD/437).
• Weak: batân “road” → batânu (objective, SD/431).
• Weak: manô “spirit” → manô (objective, SD/438).

In the last example, the suffix -u is absorbed by the final vowel -ô according to the standard Adûnaic rules for vowel-combinations. The same would happen with a final vowel -û, so that the normal and objective forms would be identical in these cases. Masculine nouns often end in these two vowels, and such nouns do not have distinct objective forms.

Owing to the association of the vowel u with the masculine gender (SD/427), the objective forms of feminine-nouns often use the vowel i in the objective case by the time of Classical Adûnaic (SD/432). For the numerous feminine nouns ending in -ê and -î, this variant objective suffix is absorbed by the final vowel so that (like masculine nouns) their normal and objective forms are the same.

• mîth “baby girl” → mîthi (feminine objective) vs. older †mîthu (SD/438).
• zôrî “nurse” → zôrî (feminine objective suffix absorbed) vs. older †zôrîyu (SD/438).
• izrê “sweetheart” → izrê (feminine objective suffix absorbed) vs. older †izrâyu (SD/438).

Objective With Syncope (Strong I nouns)

Nouns ending in a consonant preceded by a short vowel (Strong I nouns) often use a variant form of the objective with the Adûnaic syncope and the objective inflection added as a suffixal -u (SD/435). Originally, such Strong I nouns with the short vowel u would have identical normal and subjective forms.

• huzun “ear” → huzun (objective, SD/430) with the last vowel “changed” to u

To better distinguish the normal and objective forms, such nouns could have an alternate objective inflection that suppresses the last vowel and adds the suffix -u. This followed the normal pattern for the Adûnaic syncope, and the discussion here use the term “objective with syncope” to refer to this formation.

• huzun “ear” → huznu (objective with syncope, SD/430).

Later, this formation spread to nouns that had the other short vowels as well. In the case of feminine nouns, the suffixal addition could be -i instead of -u, as noted above.

• balak “ship” → balku (objective with syncope, PM/151).
• nithil “girl” → nithli (feminine objective with syncope, SD/431).

Both the “objective with syncope” and “feminine i-suffix” rules for the objective were optional, sometimes seen and sometimes not. Where the Adûnaic syncope was prohibited (such as for nouns with two different vowels), the objective with syncope was probably prohibited as well.

• minal “heaven” → minul (objective, SD/429).

Archaic and Irregular Objective Forms

There are several objective forms that do not comply with the rules above, but Tolkien indicated that most of these formations were archaic.

Archaic Strong Objectives: Some weak-nouns could have a strong objective declension, replacing their last vowel with u instead of adding the -u as a suffix. This was because either (a) the noun was originally a strong noun, later becoming weak when its final vowel was lengthened or (b) it belonged to the small class of nouns (Strong Ib and Strong IIb) that were strong despite having a long vowel in the final syllable:

• †zini “female” → †zinu (archaic strong objective) vs. newer normal and objective forms zinî (SD/437).
• phazân “prince” → †phazûn (archaic strong objective) vs. newer objective form phazânu (SD/437).

Archaic Objectives with Glide Consonants: Archaically, feminine-nouns ending in -ê or -î would using the glide consonant y before the objective suffix -u. In the case of -ê, this long vowel would decompose into -ây (or perhaps -ay), as discussed in the section on “Archaic Glide Consonants with -ê and -ô” in the entry on the glide-consonant:

• zôrî “nurse” → †zôrîyu (archaic objective with glide) vs. newer form zôrî (feminine objective with suffix absorbed, SD/438).
• izrê “sweetheart” → †izrâyu (archaic objective with glide) vs. newer form izrê (feminine objective with suffix absorbed, SD/438).

Archaic Feminine Objectives with -u: All of the archaic objectives of feminine nouns used the objective -u instead of the variant feminine suffix -i discussed above. This -u would not be absorbed by final feminine vowels. It is not clear whether the u-suffix has been entirely replaced by the i-suffix by the time of Classical Adûnaic, or whether u could still be used with some feminine nouns.

Adjectives in the Objective Case: There are a couple of examples of adjectives declined into the objective case as part of compounds:

• izindu-bêth “true-sayer, prophet” contains izindi “straight, true” (SD/427).
• kathuphazgân “conqueror” contains katha “all” (SD/429).

It isn’t clear whether adjectives could generally be declined as objectives, or whether these two particular adjectives could also be used as nouns (as is the case with “all” in English).