Dwergan

Dwarvish

An Avlissian language by Orleron, KinX, Vergilius and Deider

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. = I buy 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?

I buy a shield. I bought a shield. I will buy a shield.

are all translated as: Mich caufoch washelg.

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?

I bought a shield. I bought shields.

are both translated as: Mich caufoch washelg.

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.

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.?

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.

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

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.

Chapter 3: 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 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.

Chapter 6: 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

Nouns:

English/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 (sing.), 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 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 (noun) handel traveler reisgander tree beum tunnel garnel undead versanae way weg weapon waffen Welcome velkom Winter vinter wood fiolz Yes aye

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