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Dwardekar

The language of the Dwarves

In the bustling underground city of Barak Drukar, a Dwarven artisan was busy at his forge when a human visitor from far off Sorashana approached. The human, intrigued by the intricate detail of the Dwarven crafts, spoke in the common tongue, "Your work is truly remarkable. How do you achieve such precision?" The Dwarf, rarely looking up from his work, replied in Dwardekar, "Tharn rung, tharn dhar." The deep, resonant sounds of the Dwarven language filled the chamber, echoing off the stone walls.   The human looked puzzled, and a nearby Dwarf, who was familiar with the common tongue, chuckled and translated, "Stone crafts, stone deep. He means his craft is as deep as the stones he works with. Dwarven craft is not just about the surface, it's about understanding the essence of the stone, its spirit." The artisan nodded, finally looking up from his work to give the human a stern, yet approving nod.

Deep in the heart of Frystdrassil, in the stalwart realm of Khazadthur, echoes of a language as ancient and enduring as the mountains resonate. This is Dwardekar - the language of the Dwarves. Dwardekar, with its intricate phonology, distinctive morphology, and complex syntax, reflects the Dwarves' inherent affinity for detail and structure.   Much like the Dwarves who speak it, Dwardekar is steadfast and unyielding, yet beneath its stern exterior lies an astonishing complexity. Its vocabulary is rich with words forged from the essence of the Dwarven existence - their love for craft, their respect for the land, and their indomitable spirit.   The Dwardekar writing system, an intricate variation of Viking runes known as Dwarven Runes, is etched into the very fabric of Dwarven society, preserving their lore, history, and the axioms that guide them.

Writing System

The Dwardekar writing system, known as "Dwarven Runes", is defined with each character or combination of characters representing different sounds. This system can be more intricate and nuanced reflecting the Dwarven appreciation for detail and craftsmanship.   For example: Single runes might stand for individual phonemes, such as consonants or vowels. Double runes might be used to denote more complex sounds or phoneme clusters. Certain special runes can represent entire common words or concepts of great significance in the Dwarven culture, such as 'mountain', 'gold', 'craft', etc. This writing system could be carved into stone or metal, allowing for the long-term preservation of Dwarven history, lore, and legal decrees. Writing can be considered a sacred act among Dwarves, with dedicated Dwarven scribes, loremasters, and engravers trained in the art.

Phonology

Phonology: Dwarven phonology is characterized by its guttural and resonant sounds, heavily using back vowels and voiced stops.   Consonants: Dwarven uses a series of plosives (b, d, g, p, t, k), nasals (m, n), fricatives (v, z, s, f, th, kh), approximants (l, r), and affricates (ch, j). Voiceless stops (p, t, k) are often aspirated. Vowels: The Dwarven vowel system consists of five basic vowels (a, e, i, o, u). There is a strong prevalence of the vowels "a" and "o". Stress: Stress usually falls on the first syllable of a word.

Morphology

Morphology: Dwarven morphology is largely agglutinative. This means that words or parts of words are often combined to express complex meanings.   Nouns: Nouns can have singular and plural forms, with the plural often formed by adding "-in" or "-en" at the end. They can also express the possessive case by appending "-az". Verbs: Verbs typically end in "-ak" or "-ok". They are inflected for tense, mood, and voice by adding various suffixes. Adjectives: Adjectives usually precede the noun they modify and agree with the noun in case and number.

Syntax

Syntax: The basic word order in Dwarven sentences is Subject-Object-Verb (SOV), a feature common in many natural languages. However, for emphasis or stylistic reasons, this order can be rearranged, particularly in poetry or formal speeches.   Conjunctions such as "and" (dha) and "but" (nu) can connect sentences or phrases. Prepositions usually come before the noun phrases they modify. For example, in Dwarven, the sentence "The dwarf mines the stone" could be structured as "Dwarf stone mines" (in direct translation), where 'dwarf' is the subject, 'stone' is the object, and 'mines' is the verb.

Vocabulary

Here is some common dwardekar words, that a normal dwarf would use daily. 
Dwarkar (Dwarf) Dwardekar (Dwarfish/Dwarf language) Grobsk (Goblin) Urk (Ork) Mensk (Human) Mordhrak (Mountain) Eberk (Iron) Golder (Gold) Tharn (Stone) Karak (City) Krung (War) Dran (Peace) Rung (Craft) Dhar (Deep) Khrum (Beer)

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