Dwarvish or Dwarven

Dwarvish or Dwarven is the name for a family of languages used by dwarves. Natively known as: ᛞᛖᚦᛖᚲ déthék /deˈθek/ but most other races used that term to refer to the runic alphabet in which the language is written.
Although the language in its pure form and exclusive vocabulary had fallen somewhat in disuse by the mid‒5th century AD, Dwarvish is still found all over Toriel inscribed into weapons, buildings and mystical items.
The language follow dwarves all over Toriel and beyond, making it an extremely widespread language. Communities and races that had been separated for some time evolved their own dialects.

Names

A dwarf’s name is granted by an elder, in accordance with tradition. Every proper dwarven name has been used and reused down through the generations. A dwarf’s name belongs to the house, not to the individual. A dwarf who misuses or brings shame to a clan name is stripped of the name and forbidden by law to use any dwarven name in its place. A dwarf generally has a first name given by the elder, and a last name given by its parent, and his house name. For a member of the leading houses, their house name and last name is the same.

Male Names

ᚡᚢᚾᛞᚨᛚ (Vondal), ᚠᚨᚱᚷᚱᛁᛗ (Fargrim), ᚠᛚᛁᚾᛏ (Flint), ᚡᛦᛏ (Veit), ᚢᚱᛋᛁᚲ (Orsik), ᚢᛋᚲᚨᚱ (Oskar), ᚦᚢᚱᚨᛞᛁᚾ (Thoradin), ᚦᚢᚱᛁᚾ (Thorin), ᚨᛚᛒᛖᚱᛁᚴ (Alberich), ᚨᛞᚱᛁᚲ (Adrik), ᚱᚨᛝᚱᛁᛗ (Rangrim), ᚱᚣᚱᛁᚲ (Rurik), ᚲᛁᛚᛞᚱᚨᚲ (Kildrak), ᚷᚨᚱᛞᛁᛁᚾ (Gardain), ᚺᚨᚱᛒᛖᚲ (Harbek), ᛏᚢᚱᛞᛖᚲ (Tordek), ᛏᚨᚲᛚᛁᚾᚾ (Taklinn), ᛏᚱᚨᚡᚢᚲ (Travok), ᛏᚱᚨᚣᛒᚢᚾ (Traubon), ᛒᚨᚱᛖᚾᛞᛞ (Barendd), ᛒᚨᛖᚱᚾ (Baern), ᛒᚱᚢᛏᛏᚢᚱ (Brottor), ᛒᚱᚣᛖᚾᚢᚱ (Bruenor), ᛖᛒᛖᚱᚲ (Eberk), ᛗᚢᚱᚷᚱᚨᚾ (Morgan), ᛞᚨᛨᚨᚲ (Darrak), ᛞᛁᛁᚾ (Dain), ᛞᛖᛚᚷ (Delg), ᚣᛚᚠᚷᚨᚱ (Ulfgar), ᛦᚾᚲᛁᛚ (Einkil)

Female names

ᚠᚨᛚᚲᚱᚣᚾᚾ (Falkrunn), ᚠᛁᚾᛖᚻᛖᚾ (FInellen), ᚡᛁᛋᛏᚱᚨ (Vistra), ᚨᚱᛏᛁᚾ (Artin), ᚨᛗᛒᛖᚱ (Amber), ᚨᚣᛞᚺᛁᛚᛞ (Audhild), ᚱᛁᛋᚹᛠᚾᚾ (Riswynn), ᚲᚨᚦᚱᚨ (Kathra), ᚲᚱᛁᛋᛏᚱᛠᛞ (Kristryd), ᚷᚣᚱᛞᛁᛋ (Gurdis), ᚷᚣᚾᚾᛚᚢᛞᚨ (Gunnloda), ᚺᛖᛚᛃᚨ (Helja), ᚺᛚᛁᚾ (Hlin), ᛁᛚᛞᛖ (Ilde), ᛋᚨᚾᚾᛚ (Sannl), ᛏᚢᚱᚷᚷᚨ (Torgga), ᛏᚢᚱᛒᛖᚱᚨ (Torbera), ᛒᚨᚱᛞᚱᛠᚾ (Bardyn), ᛖᛚᛞᛖᚦ (Eldeth), ᛗᚨᚱᛞᚱᛖᛞ (Mardred), ᛚᛁᚠᛏᚱᚨᛋᚨ (Liftrasa), ᛞᚨᚿᚨᛚ (Dagnal), ᛞᛁᛖᛋᚨ (Diesa)

House Names

ᚠᚱᚢᛎᛖᚾ (Frozen), ᛁcᛖᛒᛖᚨᚱᛞ (Icebeard), ᚨᛗᛒᛖᚱᚠᚢᚱᚷᛖ (Amberforge), ᚺᚨᚱᛞᚺᛖᚨᚱᛏ (Hardheart), ᚢᚱᛖᚹᚨᚱ (Orewar), cᚨᛋcᚢᚿᛖ (Cascogne).

...and he stood holding his hat and turned his wet face to the wind...
ᚦᛟ ᛋᛏᛖᛚᚨᚾ ᚦᛟ ᚲᚨᛎᚨᛐ ᚦᛟ ᚾᛁᛒᛁᚾ ᛐᚱᛟᚷ ᚷᚹᚪᚹᛠᚾ
thó stélan thó kazath thó nibin thróg gwàwyn
Pronunciation: / θo steˈlan θo kaˈzað θo nɪˈbɪn ðɹog gwæˈwin /
Dwarven word order: and he stood his hat holding and his wet face turned the wind to

Writting System

Dethek runes are rarely written on paper or cloth due to the short life and fragile nature of such materials. Runes are usually carved or scraped into stone or metal, be it the walls of a building or the blade of a sword.
...and he stood holding his hat and turned his wet face to the wind...
ᚦᛟ ᚦᛟ ᚦᛟ thó thó thó
Pronunciation: / θo θo θo /
Dwarven word order: and he his hat holding stood and the wind to his wet face turned

Spelling

Spelling rules:

Pronunciation	Spelling
æ	ᚪ
aɪ	ᛇ
a	ᚨ
ɑ	ᚫ
eɪ	ᛦ
ə	ᛆ
e	ᛖ
ɜ	ᛡ
i	ᛠ
ɪ	ᛁ
ɔ	ᚯ
ɶ	ᚢ
ɒ	ᚭ
oʊ	ᛟᚮ
o	ᛟ
u	ᚢ
ʌ	ᚣ
œ	ᚪ
ʊ	ᚮ
b	ᛒ
β	ᛔ
d	ᛞ
f	ᚠ
ɸ	ᛕ
g	ᚷ
ɢ	ᚵ
h	ᚺ
ʤ	ᛃ
k	ᚲ
l	ᛚ
ʟ	ᚻ
m	ᛗ
ɱ	ᛙ
n	ᚾ
ɳ	ᚿ
ŋ	ᛝ
p	ᛈ
ɹ	ᚱ
r	ᛨ
s	ᛋ
ʧ	ᚴ
ʃ	ᛊ
t	ᛏ
v	ᚡ
ʋ	ᚥ
w	ᚹ
ʝ	ᚤ
z	ᛎ
ʐ	ᛉ
ʒ	ᛄ
θ	ᚦ
ð	ᛐ

Phonetics

Consonant

b d f g h k l m n p r s t v w z ð ŋ ɢ ɱ ɳ ɸ ɹ ʃ ʋ ʐ ʒ ʝ ʟ ʤ ʧ β θ

↓Manner/Place→	Bilabial	Labiodental	Dental	Alveolar	Palato-alveolar	Retroflex	Palatal	Velar	Uvular	Glottal
Nasal	m	ɱ		n		ɳ		ŋ
Stop	p b			t d				k g	ɢ
Affricate					ʧ ʤ
Fricative	ɸ β	f v	θ ð	s z	ʃ ʒ	ʐ	ʝ			h
Approximant		ʋ		ɹ
Trill				r
Lateral approximant				l				ʟ

Vowel

a aɪ̯ e eɪ̯ i o oʊ̯ u æ œ ɑ ɒ ɔ ə ɜ ɪ ɶ ʊ ʌ

	Front	Central	Back
High	i		u
Near-high	ɪ		ʊ
High-mid	e		o
Mid		ə
Low-mid	œ	ɜ	ʌ ɔ
Near-low	æ
Low	a ɶ		ɑ ɒ

Grammar

Main word order: Subject (Prepositional phrase) Object Verb. “Mary opened the door with a key” turns into Mary with a key the door opened.
Adjective order: Adjectives are positioned before the noun.
Adposition: postpositions ?

Nouns

Singular	No affix ᚷᚨᛎᚺ gazh /gazh/ boar
Plural	If ends with vowel: Suffix -ne Else: Suffix -en ᚷᚨᛎᚺᛖᚾ gazhén /gazˈhen/ boars

Articles

Definite	ᛔᚨ bva /βa/ the
Indefinite	ᛞᛇ dyy /daˈɪ/ a, some

Uses of definite article that differ from English:

• Not used for mass (uncountable) nouns: ‘Walking in the mud’ would always translate to ‘Walking in mud’.
• Used for languages: ‘The English’

Uses of indefinite article that differ from English:

• Not used for non-specific countable nouns: non-specific means ‘I am looking for a (any) girl in a red dress’, whereas specific means ‘I am looking for a (particular) girl in a red dress’

Pronouns

	Nominative	Accusative	Genitive
1st singular	ᚦᚨ tha /θa/ I	ᚦᚨ tha /θa/ me	ᚦᚨᛠ thay /θaˈi/ mine
2nd singular	ᚦᚣ thu /θʌ/ you	ᚦᚣ thu /θʌ/ you	ᚦᚣᛠ thuy /θʌˈi/ yours
3rd singular masc	ᚦᛟ thó /θo/ he (masc)	ᚦᛟ thó /θo/ his (masc)	ᚦᛟᛠ thóy /θoˈi/ his (masc)
3rd singular fem	ᚦᛡ thê /θɜ/ she (fem)	ᚦᛡ thê /θɜ/ her (fem)	ᚦᛡᛠ thêy /θɜˈi/ hers (fem)
1st plural	ᛗᚨᚾ man /man/ we	ᛗᚨᚾ man /man/ us	ᛗᚨᚾᚣ manu /maˈnʌ/ ours
2nd plural	ᛗᚣᚾ mun /mʌn/ you all	ᛗᚣᚾ mun /mʌn/ you all	ᛗᚣᚾᚣ munu /mʌˈnʌ/ yours (pl)
3rd plural	ᛗᛡᚾ mên /mɜn/ they	ᛗᛡᚾ mên /mɜn/ them	ᛗᛡᚾᚣ mênu /mɜˈnʌ/ theirs

Possessive determiners

	Possessive
1st singular	ᚦᚨᛠ thay /θaˈi/ my
2nd singular	ᚦᚣᛠ thuy /θʌˈi/ your
3rd singular masc	ᚦᛟ thó /θo/ his
3rd singular fem	ᚦᛡᛠ thêy /θɜˈi/ her
1st plural	ᛗᚨᚾᚣ manu /maˈnʌ/ our
2nd plural	ᛗᚣᚾᚣ munu /mʌˈnʌ/ your (pl)
3rd plural	ᛗᛡᚾᚣ mênu /mɜˈnʌ/ their

Verbs

Present	No affix
Past	If ends with vowel: Suffix -naɪ Else: Suffix -aɪ
Remote past	If ends with vowel: Suffix -naɪɳ Else: Suffix -aɪɳ
Future	If ends with vowel: Suffix -ɳɜ Else: Suffix -ɜɳ

Progressive aspect

The ‘progressive’ aspect refers to actions that are happening at the time of speaking, such as I am learning.
Dwarven uses a standalone particle word for progressive:

Progressive

Suffix -ɪŋ

Habitual aspect

The ‘habitual’ aspect refers to actions that happen habitually, such as I learn (something new every day), as opposed to actions that happen once (I learned something).
Dwarven uses an affix for habitual:

Habitual

Suffix -oʊŋ

Numbers

Dwarven has a base-6 number system:
1 - ᛏᚨᚻ tall
2 - ᛏᚨᛝ tang
3 - ᛏᚨᚦ tath
4 - ᛗᚨᚻ mall
5 - ᛗᚨᛝ mang
6 - ᛗᚨᛏᚦ matth
36 - ᚨᛗᚨᚦ amath
216 - ᚨᛝᚨᚦ angath

Dates

The following are the names of the months in a year:

• Korimaril (diamond, mid- to late-winter): Since a diamond is clear and the sparkle is considered to be cold and hard, it seems logical to think of the first month of the year to be the start of things. The birth of a year starts out frigid, clean and in sharp focus. (starts Dec 22)
• Anurilos (sapphire, spring): The sapphire is primarily blue, and it is in this month of rains when the heavens cry their tears of joy for the coming cycle of life.
• Sognathos (emerald, late spring to early summer): The world is now brimming with life and the colors are starting to darken with health and fullness. This deep green stone represents the fullness of late spring and early summer.
• Oontrom (ruby, mid-to late-summer): The color of fire, heat and anger. The world turns hot and tempers shorten with the heat.
• Urmarillion (topaz, autumn): The nights now have a bite to them and the trees are giving their final dance of color. It is the beginning to the final stages of life and the coldness to come. This stone has the oranges, browns, and golden ambers of falling leaves.
• Kasthomin (turquoise, late autumn to early winter): This is the month when winter has arrived and turns the world to snow and ice. The unique cold blueish green of this stone well represents the frigid world, and its lacy patterns the hints of frost, snowflakes, and cracked ice on lakes.

The following are the names of the eight days in a week:

• Makersdag – The return to work and productivity. The most important day of the week.
• Holdsdag – A day of work, traditionally focussed on improving the safety of the realm and the lot of the clansmen.
• Wandersdag – A day of work, and traditionally considered a fortuitous day to set off on long journeys.
• Sagesdag – A day of work, frequently focussed on learning and improving one’s skills. It is also a day when Elders traditionally tell stories of dwarven heroes to the youngest.
• Heartsdag – A day of work, traditionally an auspicious day for battle and for training
• Tradesdag – A day of work, but also of markets, where craftsmen sell their wares.
• Revelsdag – A day of revelry, to drink and enjoy pride in one’s hard work of the previous week.
• Hearthdag – A day of rest and worship, spent with one’s family.

Dictionary

217 Words.