. . . I would say that, whether lovely or unlovely, by your own assessment it's
a 'comfortable' sound; a fallback that comes into usage where distinction isn't
required. For that reason I could see Tolkien deciding that it was
'un-Elvish', and preferring very accurate and in some ways uncomfortable
sounds. The Elves are the antithesis of laziness or commonness.
Alternatively, perhaps he just set himself the challenge of creating a language
without the schwa, since it's so prevalent in English. Sounds like quite
a JRR thing to do; he was hardly known for taking the easy
route.
" . . . the helm of her secrecy had fallen from her, and her bright hair, released from its bonds, gleamed with pale gold upon her shoulders. Her eyes grey as the sea were hard and fell, and yet tears were on her cheek . . ."
