The Children of Húrin

NOTE ON PRONUNCIATION

The following note is intended to clarify a few main features in the pronunciation of names.

C — always has the value of k, never of s; thus Celebros is ‘Kelebros’, not ‘Selebros’.

CH — always has the value of ch in Scots loch or German buch, never that of ch in English church; examples are Anach, Narn i Chîn Húrin.

DH — is always used to represent the sound of a voiced (‘soft’) th in English, that is the th in then, not the th in thin. Examples are Glóredhel, Eledhwen, Maedhros.

G — always has the sound of English g in get; thus Region is not pronounced like English region, and the first syllable of Ginglith is as in English begin, not as in gin.

AI — has the sound of English eye; thus the second syllable of Edain is like English dine, not Dane.

AU — has the value of English ow in town; thus the first vowel of Sauron is like English sour, not sore.

EI — as in Teiglin has the sound of English grey.

IE — should not be pronounced as in English piece, but with both the vowels i and e sounded, and run together; thus Ni-enor, not ‘Neenor’.

AE — as in Aegnor, Nirnaeth, is a combination of the individual vowels, a-e, but may be pronounced in the same way as AI.

EA — and EO are not run together, but constitute two syllables; these combinations are written ëa and ëo, as in Bëor, or at the beginning of names Eä, Eö, as in Eärendil.

Ú — in names like Húrin, Túrin, should be pronounced oo; thus ‘Toorin’, not ‘Tyoorin’.

IR, UR — before a consonant (as in Círdan, Gurthang) should not be pronounced as in English fir, fur, but as in English, eer, oor.

E — at the end of words is always pronounced as a distinct vowel, and in this position is written ë. It is always pronounced in the middle of words like Celebros, Menegroth.