Lámatyávë
Lámatyávë (pl. lámatyáver) is a noun in Quenya which refers to phonaesthesia of the Elves. It means "sound-taste" and refers to individual pleasure in the sounds and forms of words.
Lámatyávë was practiced when Elves named their children.
Etymology
láma "sound" and tyáve "taste"
Inspiration
Sound-taste was an important factor in Tolkien's created names and languages and by extension, his legendarium. His first contact with Welsh "pierced his linguistic heart" Finnish language was to him like "bottles of an amazing wine of a kind and flavour never tasted before" that "quite intoxicated" him. These two languages have been the basis for his major Elvish languages, Sindarin and Quenya.
Throughout his work, Tolkien emphasizes on how the Elven languages are heard as beautiful by the characters; he intended them to be particularly "pleasant".
Referencias
1. Esta ficha se ha importado inicialmente de TolkienGateway.net el día 27/05/2026.
