Q. o- pref. “together” (Category: Together)
A prefix meaning “together” derived from primitive √WO (WJ/367). The modern Quenya form of the prefix is the result of the sound change whereby “unstressed wo was often reduced to o with loss of w” (PE19/106). Note that “when stressed the [primitive] sequence wo was usually changed > wa”, so in theory Quenya might have a variant prefix *va- “together” that was the result of an ancient stressed prefix, much like Sindarin go- vs. gwa-. However, there is no sign of such a prefix va- in Quenya. Instead, the short o- became ó- in those rare cases where it was stressed (WJ/367).
In the Quendi and Eldar essay from 1959-60 Tolkien said that o- was “used in words describing the meeting, junction, or union of two things or persons, or of two groups thought of as units”, as opposed to yo- used for three or more things (WJ/361, 367). In examples elsewhere, though, o- “together” seems to have a more general meaning in words like olass(i)ë “foliage, collection of leaves” or ombari “company, dwellers together” (NM/117). I would therefore assume yo- is only used when plurality was emphasized, and o- “together” was the default choice otherwise.
Conceptual Development: The earliest precursor to this suffix appeared in the Gnomish Lexicon of the 1910s as ᴱQ. ma- “together” derived from primitive ᴱ✶ŋu̯a (GL/40). This was part of a paradigm in which G. go- was the result of unstressed ᴱ✶ŋu̯a, and gwa- was the normal phonological result. There was also an apparently related suffix ᴱQ. -ngwe in the Narqelion poem in phrases like ómalingwe lir’ amaldar = “*(together) with voices singing gently”, which could also be derived from primitive ᴱ✶ŋu̯a. The Early Noldorin Dictionary of the 1920s had ᴱQ. va- as the equivalent of ᴱN. go- “together”, probably reflecting a change to primitive *wa- (PE13/162).
The Etymologies of the 1930s had both ᴹQ. ō̆- and N. go- “together” derived from the root ᴹ√WŌ̆ (Ety/WŌ). In this new paradigm, N. gwa- was the result of stressed primitive wó-. In Quenya primitive wō and unstressed wŏ blended to produce o- “together”, which could be either short o or long ó. In the Outline of Phonetic Development (OP1) of the 1940s, Tolkien seems to hint that stressed (g)wo- > wá- in Quenya as well (PE19/53). But as noted above there are no examples of prefixal wa-/va- “together” in actual Quenya words from Tolkien’s later writings.
References ✧ PE17/13, 16, 191; PE19/106; PE22/168; VT48/29; WJ/367
Glosses
Variations
Related
Element In
Cognates
Derivations
Phonetic Developments
| √WO/WONO > ŏ-´ | [wo-] > [o-] | ✧ PE17/191 |
| ✶gwo > wa- | [gwo-] > [gwa-] > [ɣwa-] > [wa-] | ✧ PE19/106 |
| ✶gwo > o- | [gwo-] > [ɣwo-] > [ɣo-] > [o-] | ✧ PE19/106 |
| √WO > ó- | [wo-] > [o-] | ✧ WJ/367 |
ᴹQ. o- pref. “together” (Category: Together)
References ✧ Ety/WŌ; PE19/53
Glosses
Variations
Element In
Cognates
Derivations
Phonetic Developments
| ᴹ✶wō/wŏ > ō̆- | [wo-] > [o-] | ✧ Ety/WŌ |
| ᴹ✶gwo- > wá | [gwo-] > [gwa-] > [ɣwa-] > [wa-] | ✧ PE19/53 |
| ᴹ✶gwo- > o-´ | [gwo-] > [ɣwo-] > [ɣo-] > [o-] | ✧ PE19/53 |
ᴱQ. va- pref. “together” (Category: Together)
References ✧ PE13/162
Cognates
ᴱQ. ma- pref. “together, in one” (Category: Together)
References ✧ GL/40
Related
Cognates
Derivations
Phonetic Developments
| ᴱ✶ŋu̯a > ma- | [ŋʷa-] > [ma-] | ✧ GL/40 |
ᴱQ. -ngwe suf. “*together” (Category: Together)
References ✧ VT40/8
Element In
Derivations