lámatyáve

Lámatyáve (pl. lámatyáver) is a noun in Quenya which refers to phonaesthesia of the Elves. It means "sound-taste" and refers to individual pleasure in the sounds and forms of words.

Lámatyáve was practiced when Elves named their children.^[1]

[edit] Etymology

láma "sound" and tyáve "taste"

[edit] Inspiration

Sound-taste was an important factor in Tolkien's created names and languages and by extension, his legendarium. His first contact with Welsh "pierced his linguistic heart"^[2][3] Throughout his work, he emphasizes on how the Elven languages are heard as beautiful by the characters; he intended them to be particularly "pleasant"^[4].

[edit] See also

• Cellar door

[edit] References

1. ↑ J.R.R. Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien (ed.), Morgoth's Ring pp.215, 471
2. ↑ Tolkien's Not-So-Secret-Vice
3. ↑ English and Welsh
4. ↑ J.R.R. Tolkien; Humphrey Carpenter, Christopher Tolkien (eds.), The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien, Letter 144, (dated 25 April 1954)