Supplement 5: Neo-Sindarin Composition Rules

What Is Neo-Sindarin?

Neo-Sindarin is Sindarin as reconstructed and extended by scholars and enthusiasts for creative use — for writing names, composing poetry, translating texts, roleplaying, and creating tattoos, artworks, and inscriptions in a living Elvish tradition.

The distinction between attested Sindarin and Neo-Sindarin is fundamental:

Attested Sindarin (S.): Forms that J.R.R. Tolkien himself wrote in his manuscripts, letters, or published works. These are the gold standard. They cannot be wrong (though they may be ambiguous or inconsistent across different periods of Tolkien's writing).
Neo-Sindarin (ᴺS.): Forms reconstructed by scholars using systematic methods — sound change rules, morphological analogy, comparative Quenya evidence — for concepts that Tolkien never wrote a Sindarin word for. These may be wrong, may be revised as new evidence emerges, and should always be labeled.

The community of Tolkien linguists has spent decades developing rigorous methods for Neo-Sindarin reconstruction. This supplement teaches those methods, so that you can:

Evaluate whether a Neo-Sindarin word you encounter is well-made or poorly made
Construct your own Neo-Sindarin forms following the best practices
Label your work transparently

A note on purpose: Neo-Sindarin is not about "inventing Elvish words." It is about extending a partially-documented historical language using the same philological methods that linguists use to reconstruct Proto-Indo-European, Proto-Semitic, or Proto-Bantu. The methods are the same; the database is smaller.

The Attestation Hierarchy

Before constructing any Neo-Sindarin form, you must know where it falls on the attestation hierarchy. Forms higher on this ladder are more reliable; use the most reliable option available.

Level	Label	Description	Example
1	S.	Directly attested — Tolkien wrote it	teithant (he wrote)
2	S.?	Attested but context unclear or form ambiguous	Some words in early LotR drafts
3	N.	Attested in Noldorin (pre-LotR); highly compatible but requires verification	N. gwaith → S. gwaith (people)
4	ᴺS.[N.]	Neo-Sindarin derived by applying regular sound changes to a Noldorin form	N. dant → ᴺS.[N.] danna- (to fall)
5	ᴺS.[Q.]	Neo-Sindarin derived from Quenya by tracing back to CE root	Q. alcar → PE aklar- → ᴺS.[Q.] aglar*
6	ᴺS.	Neo-Sindarin reconstructed by productive morphology on attested bases	aran + -as → ᴺS. aranas (kingship)
7	ᴺS.!	Neo-Sindarin coined without direct antecedent; most speculative	Entirely new root coined for a concept

Rule 1: Always use the highest available level. If an attested S. word exists, use it. Never use a ᴺS. reconstruction when an attested form is available.

Rule 2: Always label. Using ᴺS. is not a mark of weakness or failure. It is intellectual honesty. The Tolkien linguistics community (Lambengolmor, Vinyë Lambengolmor, Elfling, realelvish.net) requires labeling as a basic standard of scholarly conduct. Unmarked Neo-Sindarin is irresponsible.

Rule 3: The label belongs on the specific word or form, not just on the composition as a whole. In a composition where 80% of words are attested (S.) and 20% are reconstructed (ᴺS.), label each ᴺS. word individually, not the whole piece.

The Five Sources for Neo-Sindarin

When you need a word that Tolkien never wrote in Sindarin, you have five sources of evidence, in order of reliability:

Source 1: Regular Sound Changes from Noldorin (N.)

Tolkien's earlier Elvish language "Noldorin" was renamed and revised into Sindarin during the writing of The Lord of the Rings. The two languages are closely related — Noldorin is to Sindarin roughly as Old English is to Modern English. Many Noldorin words survive into Sindarin with only minor changes, and many others can be updated using documented sound change rules.

The key N. → S. changes:

N. -iant → S. -iont (in some suffixes)
N. -w final → S. -w (generally preserved)
N. y vowel → S. y (same)
N. oe diphthong → S. oe (same)
N. au → S. au (same in many cases, aw elsewhere)

Process: Find the N. word in Eldamo (eldamo.org). Check whether any S. form is listed. If no S. form contradicts it, apply the relevant N.→S. sound changes (most words need no changes at all). Label the result ᴺS.[N.] with a note on the Noldorin source.

Example:

N. dant (fall, noun) → sound check: no contradicting S. form; same word applies in Sindarin phonology
ᴺS.[N.] dant (fall, noun) — cite N. source

Source 2: Reconstruction from Quenya via Common Eldarin Root

When a word exists in Quenya but has no Noldorin or Sindarin attestation, you can trace back to the Common Eldarin (CE) or Primitive Elvish (PE) root and then forward through the Sindarin sound changes. This requires knowledge of Supplement 1 (Historical Phonology).

Process:

Identify the Quenya word and its root from Eldamo
Identify the CE/PE root form (usually given in Eldamo or Tolkien's essays)
Apply Sindarin sound changes to derive the expected S. form
Check whether the result conflicts with any existing attested Sindarin words
Label ᴺS.[Q.] with note on derivation

Example:

Q. alcar "glory, radiance" → PE root *AKLAR-
Apply Sindarin changes: aklar- → initial a- stays; kl- cluster stays; -ar → -ar (final short vowel: -a drops, -r remains): result aglar
Check Eldamo: aglar is actually S. attested in Tolkien's word lists! (aglar elenath in A Elbereth Gilthoniel)
Lesson: always check Eldamo before labeling something ᴺS. — it may already be attested

Source 3: Productive Morphology

Sindarin has documented productive morphological processes — suffixes and prefixes that Tolkien clearly used systematically to generate new words from existing bases. Applying these to attested bases gives well-grounded ᴺS. forms.

Documented productive suffixes:

Suffix	Meaning	Example (attested or ᴺS.)
-as	abstract noun "the state/quality of"	mellon → ᴺS. mellas (friendship); glad → ᴺS. gladas (joy)
-ath	collective "all the X"	elen → elenath (all-stars; S. attested)
-rim	"people of" (respectful collective)	nogoth → nogothrim (S. attested)
-hoth	"host/people of" (threatening collective)	gaur → gaurhoth (S. attested)
-on/-ion	masculine agent/abstract	aran → ᴺS. arion (king's [son], prince)
-iel	feminine agent / "daughter of"	aran → ᴺS. aranel (princess; also attested form)
-eb	adjectival "having the quality of"	aglar → aglareb (N./S. attested in Tolkien's word lists)
-ren/-en	adjectival "made of, pertaining to"	celeb → celebren (S. attested in Celebrindor, celebren itself)
-el	adjectival, general quality	edhel → edhellen (S. attested: Annon edhellen)
-and	noun "place of, instrument of"	sal- → saland (ᴺS. pool, pond)
-iant	noun "bridge, crossing"	celeb → ᴺS. celebiant (silver-bridge; cf. Celebrant)

Documented productive prefixes:

Prefix	Meaning	Example
an-	"for, toward, to"	locative/directional
go-	"together, with"	govad- (S. attested: govannen well-met)
en-	"again, re-"	ennorath (S. middle-lands); ᴺS. encared (re-making)
ad-	"back, again, re-"	ᴺS. adgaro (redo)
ar-	"beside, outside, without"	Arnor (S. attested)
u-/ú-	verbal negation	ú-chebin (S. attested)
al-	general negation	Alcarinquë (Q.; al- negation)
palan-	"afar, far and wide"	palan-diriel (S. attested in A Elbereth)
tol- / tal-	"foot, flat base"	in compounds
ost-	"fort, fortified place"	Ost-in-Edhil (S. attested)

Source 4: Analogical Extension

If a verb or noun class has a documented pattern of form-formation, and a specific member of that class has no attested form for a particular inflection, you can reconstruct the missing form by analogy with the attested members of the same class.

Process:

Identify the verb/noun class of the word you need a form for
Find attested members of that same class
Apply the pattern to your word
Label ᴺS. (analogy is slightly less reliable than direct attestation but is the standard method)

Example:

Verb class D1 past tense: attested forms teithant (3sg of teitha-), linnant (3sg of linna-, from linnathon future), govant (3sg of gova-)
Pattern: D1 verb stem + -ant = 3sg past
Application: lasta- (to hear) → ᴺS. lastant (heard, 3sg past)
Confidence: high — the pattern is attested in multiple D1 verbs

Source 5: Direct Coinage

When all four sources above fail — no Noldorin antecedent, no Quenya root, no applicable morphology, no analogical pattern — you may need to coin a new word. This is the least reliable source and should be used sparingly.

Rules for direct coinage:

The word must follow all Sindarin phonotactic rules (see Section 4)
The word must not accidentally duplicate or clash with an existing attested word
The word should be etymologically motivated if possible (built from attested roots or root-elements)
The word must be labeled ᴺS.! — the exclamation mark signals a coined word
Before publishing, ask for community review at Vinyë Lambengolmor Discord or Lambengolmor mailing list

Sindarin Phonotactics — What Sounds Are Allowed Where

Sindarin phonology is not arbitrary. Tolkien applied consistent rules about what sound combinations occur in which positions. When coining new words, you must follow these rules or the word will sound un-Elvish.

Permitted Initial Consonant Clusters

Sindarin allows consonant clusters at the beginning of words, but only specific combinations:

Stop + liquid (common):

br-, dr-, gr- (voiced stop + r)
pr-, tr-, cr- (voiceless stop + r)
bl-, dl- (rare), gl- (voiced stop + l)
pl-, cl-, tl- (voiceless stop + l; tl rare)

Stop + w:

gw- (attested: gwaith, gwend)
cw- (attested: cwend)

Fricative + liquid:

fr-, fl-, thr- (voiceless)
dhr-, dhl- (voiced; rare)

Nasal + liquid (in native words, these typically reflect older clusters):

Sindarin does not typically begin words with ml-, mr-, nl-, nr- — these were resolved earlier

Clusters NOT permitted initially in native Sindarin words:

st-, sp-, sk- — these do not appear at word-initial position in genuine Sindarin. If a CE root had initial *st-, the s- was dropped: *STAR- → S. tar- (not star-).
kn-, gn- — not initial in Sindarin (would have been simplified in the OS period)

Medial Consonant Clusters

Within words and compounds, a wider range of clusters is possible:

-str- exists within compound words (e.g., Isengard = Angrenost where English name reflects the Sindarin)
-ndr-, -mbl-, -ngr- etc. can appear at syllable boundaries within words

Word-Final Consonants

Sindarin words end in single consonants only (no final clusters in genuinely Sindarin words):

Single -n, -r, -l, -m, -s, -th, -dh, -f, -v, -g, -d, -b, -t, -c, -nt (this last appearing in some past tense forms) are all permitted
Final -nt is an exception in past tense forms (teithant, govant, linnant)
Final -nn, -ll, -rr (geminates) can appear in monosyllables: penn, tall, narr

Vowel Sequences

Permitted diphthongs (single syllable): ae, ai, au, ei, oe, ui, ia, ie, io, iu

Not permitted as diphthongs (must be two syllables): oa, oe (when oe is across syllable boundary), ue, uo

Long vowels can appear in any syllable position: â, ê, î, ô, û, ŷ

The vowel y (front rounded [y]) appears where historical o or u underwent i-affection. When coining new words, y should appear in:

Words where i-affection plausibly operated (plurals, i-affection contexts)
Words derived from roots with o or u in specific positions

Using y randomly in a new word without etymological justification makes the word look artificial.

Morphotactic Constraints — What Combinations Are Grammatical

Beyond phonotactics (which sounds combine), morphotactics governs which morphemes (meaningful units) combine with which others.

Verb Formation

New verbs from nouns (D1/D2 pattern):

Transitive meaning (doing something to an object): noun + -a → D1 verb
- sîr (river, stream) → sira- (ᴺS. "to flow")
- glîr (song) → glíra- (ᴺS. "to sing [a song]"; cf. glir- primary verb "to recite")
Stative/intransitive meaning: noun/adj + -a → D2 verb
- mael (desire, lust) → maela- (ᴺS. "to desire")

New verbs from adjectives (causative pattern):

Make X become [adjective]: adj + -a or adj + -(n)id- → causative verb
- nim (white) → nimmid- (S.? attested or ᴺS.? context uncertain: "whiten")
- calen (green) → ᴺS. calenid- or calena- "to make green, to become green"

Compound verbs with prefixes:

go- (together): go- + vad- → govad- (attested as govad- → govannen)
en- (again): en- + car- → ᴺS. encar- (redo, make again)
ad- (back): ad- + tol- → ᴺS. adtol- → addol- (return, come back)

Noun Formation (Order of Reliability)

Use existing attested nouns. This is always the first option.
Compound two attested nouns/adjectives. Sindarin is a compounding language; many Tolkien-coined words are compounds: Menegroth (men-e-groth = thousand-caves), Orthanc (ort = mount, hanc = tooth-sharp). Compounds in Sindarin typically have the head word last (left-branching) for noun-noun compounds: celeb (silver) + rant (course, channel) → Celebrant (silver-channel).
Apply attested productive suffixes. See the suffix table in Section 3.
Apply locative/relational suffixes:
- -iant (bridge, crossing): gaer (sea) → ᴺS. gaeriant (sea-crossing)
- -rant (channel, course): gal- (light) → ᴺS. galrant (light-course)
- -and (place): gal- → ᴺS. galand (bright place, glade)
- -orn (tree [specific type]): malt (gold) → malorn (S. attested: the Mallorn tree)
Direct coinage (ᴺS.! — last resort).

Adjective Formation

Existing attested adjectives.
Compound adjective + noun: The Tolkien model is galadhremmin (tree-entangled) from galadh (tree) + remmen (tangled/meshed). Compound adjectives of this type are highly productive in poetic Sindarin.
Suffix -eb ("having/characterized by"):
- aglar (glory) → aglareb (N./S. attested in Tolkien's word lists: "glorious")
- annon (gate) → ᴺS. annothneb or annonneb (gate-like, having gates)
Suffix -ren/-en ("made of, pertaining to"):
- celeb (silver) → celebren (S. attested: "of silver")
- galadh (tree) → galadhren (S. attested: "of trees, arboreal")
- ithil (moon) → ithilren (ᴺS. "of the moon, lunar")
Suffix -el/-ell (adjectival, general):
- edhel (Elf) → edhellen (S. attested: "Elvish"; Annon edhellen)

The Most Debated Neo-Sindarin Topics

A. Second Person Pronouns and Verb Suffixes

The question: What is the 2sg familiar vs. polite distinction in verb suffixes?

The positions:

Strack / Jallings / Neo-Sindarin Grammar: familiar -g, polite -l (most widely used)
Derdzinski (elvish.org/gwaith): familiar -ch, polite -l (older consensus, still defensible)
Some sources: familiar -g or -ch depending on phonological context

Working guidance: Use -g (familiar) and -l (polite). This is the current mainstream consensus. When reading older Neo-Sindarin texts (pre-2010), recognize -ch as a valid older convention. Both are legitimate; the underlying attested data is insufficient to definitively rule either out.

B. Nasal Mutation of Voiceless Stops

The question: What happens to p, t, c under nasal mutation?

Position A (aspiration): p → ph, t → th, c → ch Position B (voicing): p → b, t → d, c → g

The historical argument for aspiration: The prenasalized stop *mp → the m was deleted and the remaining p was aspirated (expelled with air) as compensation: ph.

The historical argument for voicing: The prenasalized stop *mp → voiced to *mb → simplified to b, parallel to how soft mutation voices stops.

Working guidance: Both are used in the community. If you use aspiration (ph/th/ch), be consistent throughout your work. If you use voicing (b/d/g), be consistent. Mark clearly. Neither will be "wrong" to an informed reader; both will be recognized.

C. Hard/Stop Mutation (Unmutation)

The question: What triggers "stop mutation" (sometimes called "hard mutation" or "unmutation") and what does it do?

Background: Some scholars posit a third mutation type that operates after prepositions o, ed, ned — making voiced stops voiceless again: b→p, d→t, g→c. This is the mirror of soft mutation.

Working guidance: Stop mutation is attested very sparingly and its exact trigger-set is uncertain. Apply it after o, ed, ned as the most conservative approach. In casual Neo-Sindarin composition, you may simply use soft mutation universally after prepositions and acknowledge that the stop mutation rule exists but cannot be reliably applied in all cases.

D. The 1sg Past Tense of Primary Verbs

The question: Is the 1sg past tense of P-class verbs -(n)in or -(n)en or something else?

The forms:

pennin (some reconstructions: I spoke, 1sg past of ped-)
pennon (alternative)
pennen (another alternative)

Working guidance: The form -(n)in for P-class 1sg past is the most widely used in community compositions. Note that it is homophonous with the aorist 1sg pedin → but context usually disambiguates. Use -in and label ᴺS.

E. The Conditional Mood

The question: How is the conditional formed in Sindarin?

Tolkien's evidence for a Sindarin conditional is very thin. The particle naen ("I wish, would that") appears in some late notes. The particle aen may function as a conditional marker.

Working guidance: Use aen + present tense verb for conditional ("I would speak" = aen pedin). Use naen + infinitive for wishes ("Would that I might speak" = naen ped). Both are ᴺS. reconstructions; label accordingly.

The Seven Questions Before Using a Neo-Sindarin Word

This checklist should be applied every time you need a word that you don't already have memorized as attested:

Question 1: Is there an attested Sindarin (S.) form in Eldamo? → If YES: Use it. Done. No label needed beyond S. → If NO: Continue.

Question 2: Is there an attested Noldorin (N.) form, and is it compatible with Sindarin phonology? → If YES: Apply N.→S. sound changes if needed. Label ᴺS.[N.]. → If NO: Continue.

Question 3: Is there a Quenya cognate whose Common Eldarin root can be traced? → If YES: Derive the Sindarin reflex by applying Sindarin sound changes to the CE root. Label ᴺS.[Q.]. Note: this requires Supplement 1 knowledge. → If NO: Continue.

Question 4: Can the meaning be expressed by productive morphology (attested suffix + attested base)? → If YES: Apply the suffix. Label ᴺS. (productive morphology). → If NO: Continue.

Question 5: Can the word be derived by analogy with an attested form in the same class? → If YES: Apply the analogical pattern. Label ᴺS. (analogy). → If NO: Continue.

Question 6: Can the meaning be expressed by a circumlocution using attested words, instead of a new single word? → If YES: Use the circumlocution. No new coinage needed. This is often the best option. → If NO: Proceed to coinage.

Question 7 (coinage): Can I coin a new word following Sindarin phonotactics, without duplicating existing words, with some etymological motivation? → If YES: Coin carefully. Label ᴺS.! Ask the community for review before publishing. → If NO: Reconsider the task. Is this expression truly necessary in Sindarin? Could the composition be restructured?

Worked Examples: Building Neo-Sindarin Words

Example 1: "Hope (as expectation)"

The task: express "hope as optimistic expectation" (distinct from estel "trust/faith as hope").

Q1: Check Eldamo for S. forms of "hope." Result: estel (S.) = hope/trust; amdir (S.) = hope "looking upward," optimism based on foresight. ← PE17! → Amdir is attested S. Use it. No further work needed. Label: S.

Lesson: Always check Eldamo first. This question had an attested answer that many learners miss.

Example 2: "Friendship"

The task: express "friendship" as an abstract noun.

Q1: Check Eldamo for S. forms of "friendship." Result: no attested S. or N. form found.

Q2: No Noldorin form either.

Q3: Q. meldo (friend, beloved) / meldë (feminine) — root *MEL- (love). Sindarin reflex of root: mel- (cf. mellon "friend" S. attested). So the root mel- is clearly present in Sindarin.

Q4: Productive morphology: mel- (love root) + -as (abstract noun suffix) → melas (ᴺS. "love/friendship as an abstraction"). Alternatively, take the full noun mellon (friend), extract the adjectival form mell (dear, beloved) and add -as: mell- + -as → mellas (ᴺS. "dearness, friendship, the quality of being a dear friend"). → ᴺS. mellas — productive suffix on attested base. Label: ᴺS.

Note: melas and mellas are both possible; mellas is slightly more common in community use because mell- (dear) is the more productive adjectival root.

Example 3: "To Learn"

The task: a verb meaning "to learn."

Q1: Eldamo — "learn." No attested S. or N. verb.

Q2: No N. verb for "learn."

Q3: Q. ista- or istya- (to know, to have knowledge). Root: *IS- (knowledge). Sindarin reflex: ist- (knowledge base; cf. Istari "those who know" = the Wizards — though this is Q.). In Sindarin, the root IS- → ist-; noun: ᴺS. ist (knowledge). Verb: D1 from noun? ista- (ᴺS. "to know/learn").

Q6: Can we circumlocute? "I need to know" = boe nín istud (using boe "it is necessary" + dative nín "to me" + infinitive istud ᴺS.). This avoids the unattested verb.

Recommendation: If "to learn" is needed as a single verb, use ᴺS. ista- with label ᴺS.[Q.]. If a circumlocution works in context, prefer that.

Example 4: "Library" (a place of stored books/writings)

The task: a noun for "library."

Q1: No attested S. form.

Q2: No N. form.

Q3: Q. parma (book) → S. parf (ᴺS. "book," from root *PHAR- or *PHARAM-?). Check Eldamo: N. parth appears but means "field"; parf for book is found as ᴺS. in many sources. Proceed cautiously.

Q4: "Place of books" as a compound: parf (ᴺS. book) + -and (place/house suffix) → ᴺS. parfand "book-house, library." Or: parf + -ias (place) → ᴺS. parfias. Or use os (city/fortress) loosely.

Q6: Circumlocution: "the house of writings" = bar i thiw (S. attested thiw = writings/signs; bar = home/house S. attested). This uses only attested words.

Recommendation: Use bar i thiw (house of the writings) — fully attested circumlocution. Only use a coined word like parfand if a single-word noun is specifically needed.

Composing a Sindarin Sentence: Full Checklist

When composing any Sindarin sentence (not just individual words), apply this complete checklist:

Step 1: Choose Words

For each concept you need to express:

Search Eldamo
Apply the Seven Questions
Note the attestation level of each word

Step 2: Establish Word Order

Default Sindarin word order is VSO (Verb-Subject-Object):

Pêd Aragorn i peth = "Aragorn speaks the word" (VSO)

Emphatic or topic-focused order may shift elements:

Aragorn pêd i peth = "It is ARAGORN who speaks the word" (SVO, marked)
I peth pêd Aragorn = "The word — Aragorn speaks it" (OVS, topicalized)

Step 3: Apply Mutations

Work through each word and its grammatical context:

Soft mutation triggers:

Direct object of a verb: pedo mellon (m → m; no change since m initial stays v under soft mutation — wait: m→v in soft mutation; but mellon begins with m: soft mutated m → v: vellon? Actually, pedo is imperative; "speak, friend" — mellon is in apposition/address, not direct object. Confirm the grammatical role before applying.)
Noun after the article i (sg.)
Adjective after its noun
Noun after prepositions o, na, nu, ar, am (most single-word prepositions)
Second element in genitive construction (en + soft mutated noun)

Nasal mutation triggers:

Noun after plural article in (in + peth → in beth... actually: in + p-initial → nasal mutation: p→b or p→ph depending on your position; see §6B)
Noun after an (preposition "for/to") in some analyses

Mixed mutation triggers:

Noun after definite prepositions: erin (on the), uin (of the), nan (to the), imon (in the)

Stop mutation triggers:

Noun after o, ed, ned (hard mutation, if you apply it)

Step 4: Check Plural Forms

For each plural noun:

What is the singular?
Which vowels undergo i-affection?
Apply the i-affection table from Supplement 1

Step 5: Check Verb Agreement

For each verb:

Is the person suffix correct?
Is the tense correct (aorist / continuative / past / future)?
Is the stem from the right class (P1-P3 or D1-D3)?

Step 6: Check Genitive Constructions

Sindarin genitive: head noun + en (genitive particle, triggers soft mutation) + modifier

bar en-gon = "home of the king" (aran → gon? No — aran → erain plural; genitive: bar en-aran → bar en-naran? The en contracts with an words...)
Actually: bar en Aran — genitive particle en (from ened or en) + noun. The particle en causes soft mutation of the following noun: aran → eran (initial a = vowel, no consonant mutation; but vowels can trigger the lenition of preceding final consonants in sandhi: en + aran = en naran → en aran). Vowel-initial nouns after en show no mutation.

Step 7: Label All ᴺS. Forms

Go through the completed sentence word by word. For each word that is not attested S., add a note or superscript indicating its attestation level.

Step 8: Read Aloud

Read the sentence aloud. Does it sound like Sindarin? Are there awkward consonant clusters? Unnatural rhythms? Revise if needed.

Evaluating Others' Neo-Sindarin

When someone asks you to evaluate a piece of Neo-Sindarin (a tattoo request, a translation, an inscription), apply these questions:

Quick evaluation:

Are the words from Eldamo (attested) or invented without label?
Are mutations correctly applied in obvious places (article i before nouns, direct object soft mutation)?
Does the word order follow Sindarin patterns (VSO default)?
Does the phonology look like Sindarin (no un-Elvish clusters, correct use of y/ae/oe)?

Warning signs of poor Neo-Sindarin:

No mutations anywhere (the composer doesn't know mutation rules)
Quenya words mixed with Sindarin without acknowledgment
Vowels replaced randomly with circumflexes to "look more Elvish"
Genitive expressed by adding -'s or -es rather than en
Word order consistently Subject-Verb-Object without any evidence this is intentional
Unattested words without any label or explanation
Use of the Tengwar alphabet for Sindarin without applying the Sindarin mode (Sindarin uses the Mode of Beleriand or the Full Mode, not the Quenya mode)

Charitable evaluation: Remember that Neo-Sindarin is an active scholarly community, and even experienced practitioners make errors. Correct gently, explain the rule, and offer the correct form rather than simply criticizing. The goal is a community that can compose better Sindarin together.

Practice: Compose Five Sentences

Compose five Neo-Sindarin sentences on the following topics. Apply the full checklist. Label all ᴺS. forms. Share with the Vinyë Lambengolmor Discord for community feedback.

Introduction: "My name is [your name]. I am a student of the Elvish tongue."
- Key vocabulary: eneth (name), im (I, emphatic), na- (to be), lam (tongue/language), edhellen (Elvish)
- Challenge: how to express "student of" — consider *thenin lam edhellen (one learning the Elvish tongue; ᴺS.)
Observation: "The stars shine upon the dark water."
- Key vocabulary: elenath (the stars, collective), gal- (to shine), dûr (dark), nen (water)
- Challenge: preposition "upon" = trem or erin (on the); which triggers which mutation?
Farewell: "Go with the stars. I will remember you always."
- Key vocabulary: ego (go, get out — imperative; or use noro-), sui (like, with), elenath, tirad (to remember ᴺS.), le (you reverential), anann (always/long)
- Challenge: how to express "remember" — no easy attested verb; consider gerin le im thirid (I hold you in [my] thoughts)
Supplication (to Elbereth): "Look upon us from the high heavens. The shadow grows."
- Key vocabulary: tiro (look! — attested imperative of tir-), ammen (at/upon us), o (from), menel (heaven), aglar (high/glorious), gwath (shadow), goeol (fearful, growing?)
- Challenge: "the shadow grows" — what verb for "grow"? Consider ᴺS. goeola- or orthelia-
Praise: "Long live the king of Gondor. His glory endures."
- Key vocabulary: cuio (live! — attested), aran (king), Gondor, i (the), aglar (glory), brenia- (ᴺS. endure), pân (every, all — for "endures forever")
- Challenge: "his glory" — possessive genitive: aglar en-aran (glory of the king) or use possessive suffix

This supplement is based on the methodological frameworks developed by Helge Fauskanger (ardalambion.com), Thorsten Strack (realelvish.net/academy), and the Lambengolmor scholarly community, as well as the database at Eldamo.org maintained by Paul Strack. Neo-Sindarin reconstruction is an ongoing scholarly enterprise; specific recommendations in this supplement reflect the community consensus as of 2025–2026 and may be revised as new Tolkien manuscripts are published or new analyses supersede older ones.