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==Honorifics==
Dwarf society is highly structured and places an emphasis on one’s rank and occupation.  Dwarves tend to call people by their title, rank, or occupation, followed by their name.  In cases where such information about another dwarf is not known, the gender-neutral “Dwergen” (“dwarf”) is used (e.g., "Dwergen Hargas").  In recent centuries some Deglosian dwarves shorten this to “Dwerg.”  It is meant as a sign of respect.  Dwarves speaking in Dwergan to non-dwarves will adopt the same practice, calling them by their race, followed by their name (e.g. “Muine Thom,” “Fing Lomir,” etc.).  Some dwarves – usually those who learned Common in Galdos or Deglos but had few to no opportunities to speak it to non-dwarves – will use the same practice in Common or other non-dwarf languages: “Human Rodrick,” “Elf Lomir,” etc.
==Common Expressions==
==Common Expressions==
Last but not least, a list of common expressions in dwarvish for general use.
Last but not least, a list of common expressions in dwarvish for general use.

Latest revision as of 20:09, 8 April 2019

Avlissian (OOC Terms) | Dwergan | Drangonari | Ganoom | Nanshilae | Orcish | Romini
Nouns
Common Dwarvish
ability urkit
adamantium ababel
adult Volwach
ale aalen
alloy mearung
ally Verbond
altar clagta
anger/wrath woarg
ant angan
anvil ambnean
armor pantsung
arrow pieil
axe tuxt
back (of torso) hintug
balance eveich
bandit raubicht
barn sgobhal
bartender buftander
battle shlegh
beard feubart
beer leanr
bellows bualg
bird eoin
boulder grobbiges
bow bevergung
box bogsch
boy laddie
castle kargh
cat coit
child kindligh
coal guhle
copper cupbel
Council raad
cow ciobrothe
desire/want wofel
dew daegh
dirt salach
dog treanfaoil
drum trollan
dwarf/dwarven dwergen
Elf (singular), Elven fing
elven (language) finglen
experience iarfah
Fall/autumn stherz
father vadeugh
field veld
fire vurbren
fish vish
forest bosfich
forge miedlach
friend vruend
friendly fruendlich
fruit frucht
gate cachal
girl lassie
gnome gnom
god/deity deigott
gold gald
goodbye gudein rois
gratitude/thanks altach
grove hain
guard grimnigh
guild/clan treun
hair haar
half lelb
half-elf lelbfing
halfling berrynkind
hammer faircham
haven/safe place zehebben
heart herzode
here heir
hero gaisgach
hole lowl
house haut
human muine
ingot caagen
inn gestagh
iron iarsen
journey reisegh
keep/small castle reikost
leaf bleagh
leather ledar
lizard lagha
magic zatagh
metal meghe
mine gruan
mithril mitbel
moon moan
mother madeugh
mouse luch
night naght
No nae
nose naus
now jenugh
obligation verpiach
orc muc
ore merz
owl oidla
passage durrak
pickaxe breakel
pixie leachan
platinum plabel
potion trankplaagh
pound pfent
purpose zwos
raven rabgang
recommendation moyemb
road stragenaan
rock/stone gesraig
rothe rothe
sea aibheis
season jahrozen
shadow schadeugh
shark cearb
shield washelg
ship bauta
silver airbel
sky odhar
snake natha
something ietwas
spice beschuld
Spring lentuzt
steel staidh
store/merchant tighmann
storm gailloirm
stranger vreud
stronghold hochbol
Summer zommer
sun szonne
tavern schanke
thank you altach
there doer
thing ding
thunder tearnach
time zijd
tourist touregh
trade handel
traveler reisgander
tree beum
tunnel garnel
turtle pantslagha
undead versanae
water usga
way weg
weapon waffen
Welcome velkom
wind goth
Winter vinter
wolf faoil
wood fiolz
Yes aye

Dwarvish

An Avlissian language by Orleron, KinX, Vergilius and Deider

Simple Sentences

Dwarvish follows the word order structure of English to determine the function of a word in the sentence. This is the subject-verb-object word order. For example:

  Mich caufoch washelg. I buy a shield.  

Dwarvish is a simple but robust language. The particles ?a? and ?the? do not exist in dwarvish. Dwarvish also has no verb tenses. This means that the following sentences?

  Mich caufoch washelg I buy a shield.
  I bought a shield.
  I will buy a shield.

Dwarves usually understand through the context of a sentence which tense is intended. When the meaning is ambiguous, dwarves use time words to clarify. For example:

  Mich caufoch washelg voromlag. I bought a shield yesterday.
  Mich caufoch washelg nairlag. I will buy a shield tomorrow.

Dwarvish has no plural forms. So again the sentences?

  Mich caufoch washelg. I bought a shield.
  I bought shields.

Again, dwarves usually understand from the context of the conversation, but in ambiguous situations numbers or adjectives are used. For example:

  Mich caufoch dwei washelg. I bought two shields.
  Mich caufoch vieluth washelg. I bought many shields.

Speaking of adjectives, as in English adjectives are placed in front of the nouns they modify.

  Mich caufoch dwei beddegh washelg voromlag. I bought two old shields yesterday.

Negative sentences are also simple. To make a negative sentence, add the word for no, ?nae,? before the verb.

  Mich nae caufoch washelg voromlag. I did not buy a shield yesterday.
  Mich nae cauloch klein washelg nairlag. Mich cauloch grobbi washelg. I will not buy a small shield tomorrow. I will buy a big shield.

Dwarves have a very tight-knit clan and guild-based culture. As such, they understand each other very well, to the point that they can often finish each others? sentences. So when it would be understood, the subject is sometimes omitted from a sentence. For example:

  Mich caufoch washelg, I bought a shield
  • But many dwarves would simply say caufoch washelg.

Dwergan Grammar Primer

Pronouns and to be

In English, the personal pronouns change when converted from subject to object (I versus me, for example). This is not the case in dwarvish.

Wair caufoch beddegh pantsung. We bought old armor.
Siad anspoch wair. They attacked us.
Daibh mabtoch ee! You killed him!
Ie nae behnoch mich. She will not bless me.

In many languages the verb to be is irregular. Not in dwarvish. The dwergan verb aeoch, to be, does not change.

Mich aeoch dwerven. I am a dwarf.
Ie nae aeoch gehagh. She is not nice.
Gorethar aeoch gude deigott. Gorethar is a good deity.

Expressing Possession

There are two ways to show possession in dwarvish. The first uses the conjunction 'ov,' which means 'of.'

Veld Ov Vurbren aeoch heir. The Fields of Fire are here.
Verifoch mich ov haut. I sold my house.

The second is even simpler. Just combine the words signifying the owner and the possession:

Verifoch michhaut. I sold my house.
Michwashelg aeoch beddegh. My shield is old.
Fifur mabtoch michvruend. Fifur killed my friend.

Imperatives

Dwarvish verbs are not conjugated. The only exception is when it comes to giving commands. All dwarvish verbs end with -och. Dropping -och from a verb results in its imperative form.

Rauf! Rauf!! Run! Run!!
Dlomm heir Come here.
Nae versa! Don't die!
Mabt siad! Kill them!

Expressing Desires

The verb wofeloch means to want.
Wofeloch washelg. I want a shield.
Ee wofeloch michhaut. He wants my house.
Wofeloch ceudert gude dwergen! I want a hundred good dwarves!

Wofel is a dwarvish noun meaning desire, want. When wofel precedes a verb, the following expression can be made:

Mich wofel caufoch washelg. I want to buy a shield.
Ie wofel fascoch madeugh. She wants to see her mother.
Mich nae wofel mabtoch daibh. I don't want to kill you.

Conjunctions, Conditionals, and Explaining Reasons

Conjunctions can be used to combine simple sentences into complex ones. Conjunctions are used in dwarvish exactly as they are in English. A list of common conjunctions follows:

Famoch tighmann ind caufoch washelg voromlag. I went to the store and I bought a shield.
Anspoch din muc bach ee nae versaoch. I attacked that orc but he didn?t die.
Verifoch michtuxt ov staidh wegoir edh aeoch flamh. I sold my steel axe because it was dull.
Wair desufoch aalen nad leanr. We will drink ale or beer.

The word wem can be used with the adverb mann, which means then, to form conditional sentences.

Wem famoch tighmann, mann caufoch nudh washelg. If I go to the store, then I will buy a new shield.

The conjunction wegoir, which means because, can be used to explain reasons.

Famoch tighmann voromlag wegoir wofel caufoch nudh washelg. I went to the store yesterday because I wanted to buy a new shield.

Prepositions

Prepositions come before the words they modify, as in English. Below is a list of common dwarvish prepositions:

The moon is above Galdos, but I never see it. Moan aeoch ciob Galdos, bach nae faschoch.
Michbreakel aeoch ain haut, hintacht miedlach. My pickaxe is in the house, behind the forge.
Muc dlommoch bhon fon garnel. The orcs came from below the tunnel.
Grib daibhwaffen oin stragenaan! Drop your weapon on the road!
Caufoch ses washelg cal daibh. I bought this shield for you.

Asking Questions

In written dwarvish, interrogative questions start with a question word and end with a rune that denotes that the question is a sentence. This rune is analogous to the English question mark. Also similar is the fact that when dwarves speak a question they end the sentence with a rise in tone. In other words, asking a question in dwarvish is the same as asking one in English. Below is a list of dwarvish question words:

Cor aeoch din lelbfing? Who was that half-elf?
Cas aeoch ses waffen, ind co aeoch dlommoch bhon? What is this weapon, and where did it come from?
Cashalb daibh anspoch mich? Why did you attack me?
Celch washelg daibh wofeloch, rodh nad blorm? Which shield do you like, the red or the blue one?

Relative Clauses

Relative clauses use the appropriate question word to best describe the noun they modify. In English, where that is used the word for what, cas, is used instead. For example:

Fing cor mabtoch michvadeugh The elf who killed my father
Merz cas mich leagoch voromlag. The ore that I smelted yesterday
Hochbol co siad neutoch shlegh The stronghold where they fought the battle
Cuan mich aeoch laddie, wofeloch buang feubart. When I was a boy, I wanted a long beard.

Time Expressions

Compound nouns are used to modify the words for week, month, and year. Thus voromjahdna means last year and nairmionat means next month.

More time expressions can be used by combining time words, numbers, and certain prepositions. For example

Two seconds ago Two second before Dwei dakun vorom
Five years from now Five year after Conf jahdna nair
In twenty-four hours Twenty-four hour inside Dweideihn-veith stuair ain
Dlomm Deglos dwei lag ain. Come to Deglos in two days.
Leornoch finglen deihn jahdna nair. I learned Elvish ten years ago.

Culture note: mionat is translated as month, but many dwarves live their entire lives underground and hence never seen the moon. Mionat does not describe an actual lunar cycle, but rather the length of time of the birth and death cycle of a type of glowing fungus that grows in the Underdark. The life cycle of this fungus roughly corresponds to one month.

Saying I Can

In dwarvish the word urkit means ability. When urkit precedes a verb it forms the grammatical expression "I can" (verb form). For example:
I can see you. I have the ability to see you. Mich urkit fascoch daibh.
We cannot lose! We do not have the ability to lose! Wair nae urkit vercaloch!

Gerunds

Perhaps the hardest thing for foreigners to understand about dwarvish is gerunds. Just as dwarvish verbs do not distinguish between tenses, they also do not distinguish the gerund form. So 'see', 'to see,' and 'seeing' are all expressed by the word 'fascoch.' This sometimes creates sentences that are hard for non-dwarves to understand, such as:
Desufoch aalen aeoch gude. Drinking ale is good.
Vercaloth aeoch versaoch. To lose is to die.

Expressing Likes and Dislikes

The verb meaning to like is mesikoth. The verb meaning to hate is fuasoch.

Mich mesikoth vinter, ind mich fuasoch zommer. I like winter, and I hate summer.

The imperative forms of the above verbs are also nouns meaning preference and dislike. When they precede a verb the following grammatical construction is formed:

Mich mesik leagoch merz. I like to smelt ore.
Mich fuas faichoch hochbol. I hate guarding the stronghold.

Expressing Past Experiences

The noun iarfah mean experience. When it precedes a verb it forms the following grammatical construction:

Mich iarfah famoch Le'Or T'Nanshi. I have the experience of going to Le'Or T'Nanshi. I have been to Le'Or T'Nanshi before.
Ee iarfah fascoch nudh gebuid michpantsung? Has he seen my new yellow armor before?
Cor iarfah famoch Mikona dri jahdna ain? Who's been to Mikona in the past three years?

Similes and Metaphors

The adjective 'cealich' means 'similar to.' It can be used to form similes, such as:

Michmadeugh ov feubart aeoch wabh cealich iarsen. My mother's beard is black like iron.
Din muine anspoch chart cealich ababel! That human fights as hard as adamantium!

Though dwarves do like a good drinking song, dirge, battle ballad, or limerick, they are not fond of metaphor. In fact, they do not use metaphor in their language.

Adverbs

Adverbs always precede the verb they modify. Here is a list of common dwarvish adverbs:

Aozeit desufoch aalen vorom shlegh. I always drink ale before a battle.
Ansp trit herzode! Attack the heart only!
Noer nae smenoch muc cor mich mabtoch. I never think about the orcs I have killed.

Adjectives can be made into adverbs by adding ?-in? at the end of the word. Again, adverbs always precede the verb they modify.

Ie lunellin sprucoch. She spoke quickly.
Cuan ee rabhoch mich, toimin fothloch altach. When he saved me, I felt deep gratitude.

Passive Voice

Dwarves are a people who believe in actions. This attitude is expressed in their language. In dwarvish there is no passive voice. To quote a famous dwarf linguist, Passive voice is for wussies.

Using the Verb Ferdoch

Ferdoch means simply to make. But dwarves rarely use the verb in its naked form. Being a race of smiths, dwarves almost always combine the verb 'ferdoch' with the noun for the material used in whatever was made. For example:

Mich staidhferdoch washelg. I made a shield (out of steel).
Mich mitbelferdoch faircham nairlag. I will make a mithril hammer tomorrow.
Cor iarsenferdoch nudh ambnean? Who made the new (iron) anvil?

Honorifics

Dwarf society is highly structured and places an emphasis on one’s rank and occupation. Dwarves tend to call people by their title, rank, or occupation, followed by their name. In cases where such information about another dwarf is not known, the gender-neutral “Dwergen” (“dwarf”) is used (e.g., "Dwergen Hargas"). In recent centuries some Deglosian dwarves shorten this to “Dwerg.” It is meant as a sign of respect. Dwarves speaking in Dwergan to non-dwarves will adopt the same practice, calling them by their race, followed by their name (e.g. “Muine Thom,” “Fing Lomir,” etc.). Some dwarves – usually those who learned Common in Galdos or Deglos but had few to no opportunities to speak it to non-dwarves – will use the same practice in Common or other non-dwarf languages: “Human Rodrick,” “Elf Lomir,” etc.

Common Expressions

Last but not least, a list of common expressions in dwarvish for general use.

Common Dwergan Notes
Hello Gorr! Abbreviation of a phrase that means Gorethar bless you!
Goodbye Gudein rois Literally Journey well
How are you? Chart faircham? Literally Is your hammer hard
I am well Lichaba! Abbreviation of Cealich ababel which is literally Like adamantium!
Thank you Altach  
You're welcome Kleinmerz Literally It's just a small ore?
Holy smokes/
Great scott!
Ach!  
Damn! Verlooghlag! Literally Forsaken day
Excuse me Vercalwoarg Literally Lose your anger

Dwergan Vocabulary

Verbs
Common Dwergan
to attack anspoch
to be aeoch
to bless behnoch
to blow seidoch
to buy caufoch
to come dlommoch
to die versaoch
to dig/
to mine
ruamhoch
to do neutoch
to drink desufoch
to eat esithoch
to farm tuathoch
to feel fothloch
to fly ilieoch
to go/
to walk
famoch
to hate fuasoch
to have teuwoch
to hide falaoch
to hope horboch
to journey roisoch
to kill mabtoch
to know kaithnoch
to learn leornoch
to like/
to enjoy
mesikoch
to lose vercaloch
to love griboch
to make ferdoch
to open fosoffoch
to play cluioch
to recommend moyempoch
to run raufoch
to save rabhoch
to say sairoch
to see fascoch
to sell verifoch
to show sealloch
to sing cronnoch
to sleep cadaloch
to smelt leagoch
to snow sneaoch
to speak sprucoch
to stand stehoch
to think smenoch
to train treannoch
to want/
to need
wofeloch
to watch/to guard faichoch
to win gebuihoch
to work saothoch
 
Adjectives
Common Dwergan
acceptable annedeagh
agile aglich
all allegh
any irgnig
armed bewapnend
bad shlect
big grobbi
black wabh
blue blorm
brown dhaun
cold fuor
deep toim
dull flamh
enduring karagh
fast lunell
few beparr
forsaken verloogh
full vollen
good gude
green grurn
hard chart
hot teoth
long buang
many vieluth
new nudh
old beddegh
pleasant/nice gehagh
purple purcur
red rodh
shallow seilach
sharp biorarf
sharp leannach
short gorurz
similar to cealich
slow songsam
small klein
soft weoth
tall slataul
white weel
yellow gebuid
young juch
Adverbs
Common Dwergan
also auscht
always aozeit
maybe foddecht
never noer
often trit
only unzig
seldom senamh
sometimes uairmal
then mann
 
Numbers
Common Dwergan
one eaon
two dwei
three dri
four veith
five conf
six se
seven siechd
eight oht
nine naun
ten deihn
hundred ceudert
thousand taumil
Conjunctions
Common Dwergan
although obged
and ind
because wegoir
but/yet bach
if wem
or nad
 
Time Indicators
Common Dwergan
second dakun
minute pairgen
hour stuair
day lag
week woach
month mionat
year jahdna
today seslag
yesterday voromlag
tomorrow nairlag
Question Words
Common Dwergan
who cor
what cas
when cuan
where co
why cashalb
how cie
how much/how many cieliol
which celch
 
Pronouns
Common Dwergan
I/me mich
we/us wair
he/him ee
she/her ie
it edh
you daibh
they/them siad
this ses
that din
Prepositions
Common Dwergan
above ciob
after nair
before vorom
behind hintacht
below fon
by de
despite tratz
during wroid
for cal
from bhon
in front of coivern
in/inside ain
of ov
on oin
out/outside amuig
to chau
with meit