Q. hrai(a)¹ adj. “awkward, difficult, stiff” (Category: Difficult)
An adjective glossed “awkward, difficult” in Definitive Linguistic Notes (DLN) from 1959 derived from the root √SRAG (PE17/154), and on a rejected page glossed “awry” (PE17/172). In notes from December 1959 (D59) it was given as hrai “stiff, awkward, difficult”, identical in meaning to hranga (PE17/185), but in DLN hranga was glossed “awkward, hard” distinct from hraia.
Conceptual Development: On the rejected page from DLN, hrai(a)² was first glossed “easy” rather than “difficult” (PE17/172). See the entry as(a)- for a discussion of the conceptual development of words for “easy”.
Neo-Quenya: I believe that hraia means “difficult, awkward” due to resistance from the thing or people being worked upon, as opposed to urda meaning “difficult” due to the inherent complexity of the task, and hranga which has the additional connotation of “[physically] stiff, hard” when used as an adjective.
References ✧ PE17/154, 172, 185
Glosses
Variations
Derivations
Phonetic Developments
| √SRAG > hraia | [sraia] > [r̥aia] | ✧ PE17/154 |
| √SRA-G > hraia | [sraia] > [r̥aia] | ✧ PE17/172 |
| √SRAGA > hrai | [srai] > [r̥ai] | ✧ PE17/185 |