Quote:
Originally Posted by Huinesoron
I'm not even sure the text excludes "Samwise" from having three vowels: "father", "machine", and "were" respectively. Sahmweesseh.
I somehow don't think that's what Tolkien intended.  |
I have no idea what Tolkien intended, but I think at the very least, it wouldn't have sounded as weird to him as it does to most people. Samwise comes from the Old English sām- + wīs (half-wit). But he may have spelled it differently because he wanted it to be pronounced in the Modern English manner. There's the whole thing with him "translating" LotR into Modern English.
EDIT: The answer may be included in Appendix F. "I have therefore tried to preserve these features by using Samwise and Hamfast, modernizations of ancient English samwís and hámfæst which corresponded closely in meaning." Sounds like an argument for Modern English pronunciation.