Dwergan

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
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

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?

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 buy caufoch to come dlommoch to die versaoch to dig/ to 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/ to 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 Common Dwergan 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 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 to chau with meit