Eldamo : Neo-Quenya : capta-

ᴺQ. [ᴹQ.] capta- v. “to make spring, scatter; [ᴱQ.] to startle, ⚠️leap” (Category: to Strew, Spread Out)

ᴺQ. [ᴹQ.] capta-, v. “to make spring, scatter; [ᴱQ.] to startle, ⚠️leap” (Category: to Strew, Spread Out)

See ᴹQ. kapta- for discussion.

Elements

ᴹ√KAP	“leap”
✶-tā	“verb suffix (transitive), causative”

Cognates

ᴺS. ^cotha- “to startle”

ᴹQ. kapta- v. “to make spring, scatter” (Category: to Strew, Spread Out)

A verb appearing in the initial drafts of Outline of Phonetic Development (OP1) from the 1940s as ᴹQ. kapta- “make spring, scatter”, a combination of ᴹ√KAP “leap” with the causative suffix ᴹ✶-tā so more literally “make leap”, and having a variant kapsa- in the Lindarin dialect (PE19/41-43, note #79). Tolkien rejected the relevant section while exploring other possible phonetic developments of pt (PE19/41).

Conceptual Development: In the Qenya Lexicon of the 1910s, ᴱQ. kapta- was glossed {“swallow” >>} “startle” under the early root ᴱ√KAPA “leap, spring”, though Tolkien marked this word with a “?” (QL/45). In documents from the 1920s, ᴱQ. kapta- was glossed “leap” (PE14/56, 58, 66).

Neo-Quenya: Since kapta- is consistent with the phonetic rules described in the Outline of Phonology (OP2) from the 1950s, I would retain ᴺQ. capta- (pronounced [kaɸta]) with the senses “to make spring, scatter; to startle”. In ordinary use I would assume capta- mainly means “startle, (orig.) make leap”. To emphasize that the startled individuals actually scatter away, I would combine it with the adverb öa “away”: captalvet oa = “we scattered them, (lit.) we startled them away”.

References ✧ PE19/42-43

Glosses

“make spring” ✧ PE19/43 (kapta); PE19/43 (kapsa)
“make spring, scatter” ✧ PE19/42 (kapta-)

Variations

kapta- ✧ PE19/42; PE19/43
kapsa ✧ PE19/43 (Lin. kapsa)

Derivations

< ᴹ√KAP “leap” ✧ PE19/42 (KAP)

Phonetic Developments

ᴹ√KAP > kapsa

[kapta] > [kapsa]

✧ PE19/43

ᴱQ. kapta-² v. “to leap” (Category: to Jump, Leap)

See ᴹQ. kapta- for discussion.

References ✧ PE14/56, 58, 66

Glosses

“leap” ✧ PE14/56; PE14/66

Variations

kapta ✧ PE14/56; PE14/66

Inflections

kaptuva	future		✧ PE14/56
kampie	past		✧ PE14/56; PE14/58
kampie-	past		✧ PE14/66
kapta	present	“leap”	✧ PE14/58

Derivations

< ᴱ√KAPA “leap, spring” ✧ PE14/66
< ᴱ✶kapa- “to leap” ✧ PE14/58
- < ᴱ√KAPA “leap, spring”

Phonetic Developments

ᴱ✶kapa > kapta	[kapta-]	✧ PE14/58
ᴱ√kapa- > kapta-	[kapta-]	✧ PE14/66

ᴱQ. ‽kapta-¹ v. “to startle” (Category: Fear, Fright)

See ᴹQ. kapta- for discussion.

References ✧ QL/45

Glosses

“startle” ✧ QL/45 (‽kapta-)
“swallow” ✧ QL/45 (kapta-)

Variations

‽kapta- ✧ QL/45; QL/45 (kapta-)

Changes

kapta- “swallow” >> ‽kapta- “startle” ✧ QL/45

Inflections

kāpe

past

✧ QL/45

Cognates

G. captha- “to startle”

Derivations

< ᴱ√KAPA “leap, spring” ✧ QL/45

Phonetic Developments

ᴱ√KAPA > ‽kapta-

[kapta-]

✧ QL/45