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YON¹ root. “son” (Category: Son)

YON¹ root. “son” (Category: Son)

This root was the basis for Elvish “son” words for much of Tolkien’s life. The earliest indications of this root are ᴱQ. †Y̯ó (or y̯ond-) “son” and ᴱQ. yondo “male descendant”, both tied to the patronymic suffix ᴱQ. -ion “son of, descendant of” appearing in many names (QL/106). In the contemporaneous Gnomish Lexicon there was also the related patronymic prefix G. go- (GL/40), which implies the existence of a root *ᴱ√YO(NO) since initial [j] usually became [g] in Gnomish. However, go- was deleted and changed to G. bo-, along with new Qenya forms ᴱQ. and ᴱQ. vondo (GL/23, 40), implying a change to a root *ᴱ√VO(NO).

In Early Noldorin Word-lists from the 1920s, ᴱN. “son” reappeared along with ᴱQ. ion and yondi (PE13/144). In The Etymologies of the 1930s the root appeared as ᴹ√ or ᴹ√YON “son” with derivatives like ᴹQ. yondo/N. ionn “son” and patronymic -ion (Ety/YŌ). However, in notes labeled “Changes affecting Silmarillion nomenclature” from the late 1950s, Tolkien wrote “Delete entirely yondo = ‘son’! Very unsuitable” (PE17/43). This particular note was rejected when Tolkien changed √YON² “wide, extensive” to √YAN¹ (PE17/42). Other notes in the same bundle indicate Tolkien was still seeking a new word for son, saying “Q wanted: son, daughter”, though yon(do) remained among the forms he was considering (PE17/170, 190).

However, it seems Tolkien eventually stopped vacillating and restored √YON, since the patronymic -ion was never discarded, and yon- was the basis for “son” words in notes from the late 1960s (VT47/26).

References ✧ PE17/190; VT47/26

Glosses

Variations

Derivatives


ᴹ√YO(N) root. “son”

See √YON¹ for discussion.

References ✧ Ety/ÑGYŌ, SEL-D, YŌ

Glosses

Variations

Related

Inflections

YON extension ✧ Ety/ÑGYŌ; Ety/YŌ

Derivatives


*ᴱ√VO(NO) root. “son”

See √YON¹ for discussion.

Derivatives


*ᴱ√YO(NO) root.

See √YON¹ for discussion.

Reference ✧ PE13/144 ✧ gyon

Derivatives