Dwergan

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Dwarvish

An Avlissian language by Orleron, KinX, Vergilius and Deider

Nouns
Common Dwarvish
ability urkit
adamantium ababel
adult Volwach
ale aalen
alloy mearung
ally Verbond
altar clagta
anger/wrath woarg
anvil ambnean
armor pantsung
arrow pieil
axe tuxt
back (of torso) hintug
balance eveich
bandit raubicht
bartender buftander
battle shlegh
beard feubart
beer leanr
bellows bualg
boulder grobbiges
bow bevergung
boy laddie
castle kargh
child kindligh
coal guhle
copper cupbel
Council raad
desire/want wofel
dew daegh
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
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
hole lowl
house haut
human muine
ingot caagen
inn gestagh
iron iarsen
journey reisegh
keep/small castle reikost
leaf bleagh
leather ledar
magic zatagh
metal meghe
mine gruan
mithril mitbel
moon moan
mother madeugh
night naght
No nae
nose naus
now jenugh
obligation verpiach
orc muc
ore merz
passage durrak
pickaxe breakel
platinum plabel
potion trankplaagh
pound pfent
purpose zwos
raven rabgang
recommendation moyemb
road stragenaan
rock/stone gesraig
Sea aibheis
season jahrozen
shadow schadeugh
shield washelg
silver airbel
something ietwas
spice beschuld
Spring lentuzt
steel staidh
store/merchant tighmann
stranger vreud
stronghold hochbol
Summer zommer
sun szonne
tavern schanke
thank you altach
there doer
thing ding
time zijd
tourist touregh
trade handel
traveler reisgander
tree beum
tunnel garnel
undead versanae
way weg
weapon waffen
Welcome velkom
Winter vinter
wood fiolz
Yes aye

A Dwarvish Grammar Primer

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:

  I buy a shield. Mich caufoch washelg.  

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?

  I buy a shield. Mich caufoch washelg
  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:

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

Dwarvish has no plural forms. So again the sentences?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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:

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

Example Sentences

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

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

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

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.

Pronouns
I/me mich
We/us wair
He/him ee
She/her ie
It edh
You daibh
They/them siad
This ses
That din

Expressing Possession

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

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

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

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

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:


And : ind

Because : wegoir

But, yet : bach

If : wem

Or : nad


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:


Above : ciob

After : nair

Before : vorom

Behind : hintacht

Below : fon

By : de

For : cal

From : bhon

In front of : coivern

In, inside : ain

Of : ov

On : oin

To : chau

With : meit


Examples:

Moan aeoch ciob Galdos, bach nae faschoch.

The moon is above Galdos, but I never see it.


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.

Drop your weapon on the road!

Grib daibhwaffen oin stragenaan!

I bought this shield for you.

Caufoch ses washelg cal daibh.

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:


Who : cor

What : cas

When : cuan

Where : co

Why : cashalb

How : cie

How much, how many : cieliol

Which : celch


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?

Why did you attack me?

Cashalb daibh anspoch mich?


Which shield do you like, the red or the blue one?

Celch washelg daibh wofeloch, rodh nad blorm?


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:


The elf who killed my father

Fing cor mabtoch michvadeugh


The ore that I smelted yesterday

Merz cas mich leagoch voromlag.


The stronghold where they fought the battle

Hochbol co siad neutoch shlegh


When I was a boy, I wanted a long beard.

Cuan mich aeoch laddie, wofeloch buang feubart.

Time expressions

A list of common dwarvish time words is detailed below:


Second : dakun

Minute : pairgen

Hour : stuair

Day : lag

Week : woach

Month : mionat

Year : jahdna


Today = this + day = ses + lag = seslag

Yesterday = before + day = vorom + lag = voromlag

Tomorrow = after + day = nair + lag = nairlag


Similar 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


Come to Deglos in two days.

Dlomm Deglos dwei lag ain.


I learned Elvish ten years ago.

Leornoch finglen deihn jahdna nair.


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).' For example:


Mich urkit fascoch daibh.

I have the ability to see you.

I can see you.


Wair nae urkit vercaloch!

We cannot lose!

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.'


I like winter, and I hate summer.

Mich mesikoth vinter, ind mich fuasoch zommer.


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:


My mother's beard is black like iron.

Michmadeugh ov feubart aeoch wabh cealich iarsen.


That human fights as hard as adamantium!

Din muine anspoch chart cealich ababel!


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: Also : auscht

Always : aozeit

Never : noer

Often : trit

Only : unzig

Seldom : senamh

Sometimes : uairmal

Then : mann

I always drink ale before a battle.

Aozeit desufoch aalen vorom shlegh.


Attack the heart only!

Ansp trit herzode!

I never think about the orcs I have killed.

Noer nae smenoch muc cor mich mabtoch.


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


She spoke quickly.

Ie lunellin sprucoch.


When he saved me, I felt deep gratitude.

Cuan ee rabhoch mich, toimin fothloch altach.

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?

Common Expressions

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


Hello ' Gorr!! (this is an abbreviation of a phrase that means ?Gorethar bless you?)

Goodbye : gudein rois (lit. trans. : 'journey well')

How are you? : chart faircham? (lit. trans. : 'is your hammer hard')

I am well : lichaba! (abbr. of 'cealich ababel', 'like adamantium!')

Thank you : altach

You?re welcome : kleinmerz ('it's just a small ore?)

Holy smokes, great scott! : ach!

Damn! : verlooghlag! ('forsaken day')

Excuse me : vercalwoarg (lit. trans. : 'lose your anger')


Dictionary

Verbs:

English/Common Dwarvish

to attack anspoch

to be aeoch

to bless behnoch

to buy caufoch

to come dlommoch

to die versaoch

to dig, mine ruamhoch

to do neutoch

to drink desufoch

to eat esithoch

to feel fothloch

to fly ilieoch

to go, to walk famoch

to hate fuasoch

to have teuwoch

to hope horboch

to journey roisoch

to kill mabtoch

to know kaithnoch

to learn leornoch

to like, enjoy mesikoch

to lose vercaloch

to love griboch

to make ferdoch

to open fosoffoch

to recommend moyempoch

to run raufoch

to save rabhoch

to say sairoch

to see fascoch

to sell verifoch

to sing cronnoch

to smelt leagoch

to speak sprucoch

to stand stehoch

to think smenoch

to want, to need wofeloch

to watch, to guard faichoch

to win gebuihoch

Adjectives:

English/Common Dwarvish

acceptable annedeagh

agile aglich

all allegh

any irgnig

armed bewapnend

bad shlect

big grobbi

black wabh

blue blorm

brown dhaun

deep toim

dull flamh

enduring karagh

fast lunell

few beparr

forsaken verloogh

full vollen

good gude

green grurn

hard chart

long buang

many vieluth

new nudh

old beddegh

pleasant, nice gehagh

purple purcur

red rodh

shallow seilach

sharp biorarf

short gorurz

similar to cealich

slow songsam

small klein

soft weoth

white weel

yellow gebuid

young juch

Adverbs:

English/Common Dwarvish

also auscht

always aozeit

maybe foddecht

never noer

often trit

only unzig

seldom senamh

sometimes uairmal

then mann

Numbers:

English/Common Dwarvish

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:

English/Common Dwarvish

although obged

and ind

because wegoir

but, yet bach

if wem

or nad

Time Indicators:

English/Common Dwarvish

second dakun

minute pairgen

hour stuair

day lag

week woach

month mionat

year jahdna

today seslag

yesterday voromlag

tomorrow nairlag

Question Words:

English/Common Dwarvish

who cor

what cas

when cuan

where co

why cashalb

how cie

how much, how many cieliol

which celch

Pronouns:

English/Common Dwarvish

I/me mich

we/us wair

he/him ee

she/her ie

it edh

you daibh

they/them siad

this ses

that din

Prepositions:

English/Common Dwarvish

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

to chau

with meit