S. dadwen- [nd-] v. “to return, go back” (Category: to Return, Give Back)
A Sindarin verb for “return, go back” as a combination of √(N)DAN “back” and √MEN “go”, contrasted with dandol- “return, come back” appearing in notes from around 1959 (PE17/166). Tolkien first gave this verb as {namen >>} damen reflecting vacillation on the primitive prefix *nan- > *ndan-. Later in the same notes he gave a form danwen, reflecting vacillation of the development of ancient nm in Sindarin, to either mm or nw.
Neo-Sindarin: For purposes of Neo-Sindarin, I would use ᴺS. dammen- for this word as the most phonologically plausible. Tolkien represented intervocalic m as both mm and m in Sindarin (e.g. lammad vs. minlamad), so damen- is possible as well. Either way, the pronunciation would be [with damen] (short [m]).
References ✧ PE17/166
Glosses
Variations
Changes
Elements
dan | “back to, (back in return) against, down upon, back on, back again” | ✧ PE17/166; PE17/166 (dan/dad-) | |
#men- | “to go” | soft-mutation |
Cognates
Derivations
Phonetic Developments
✶nan-men > damen | [ndanmen-] > [danmen-] > [dammen-] > [damen-] | ✧ PE17/166 |