Dwergan
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
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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. | ||
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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. | |||
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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. | ||
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Dwarvish has no plural forms. So again the sentences? | |||
| I bought a shield. | Mich caufoch washelg. | ||
| I bought shields. | |||
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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. | ||
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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. | ||
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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. | ||
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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, | ||
| |||
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')
Dwergan Vocabulary
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