D'ni grammar: Difference between revisions
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* D'NI is the encoding used by the ''Dnifont'' typeface, and by RAWA to precisely write D'ni words: '''pAiferen''' | * D'NI is the encoding used by the ''Dnifont'' typeface, and by RAWA to precisely write D'ni words: '''pAiferen''' | ||
* OTS is the ''Old Transliteration Standard'', the most common way of writing D'ni in the Uru community: '''Payiferen''' | * OTS is the ''Old Transliteration Standard'', the most common way of writing D'ni in the Uru community: '''Payiferen''' | ||
* NTS is the ''New Transliteration Standard'', devised by the [[Guild of Linguists (restored)|first Guild of Linguists]] to have a 1-to-1 equivalence between D'ni and roman letters<ref> | * NTS is the ''New Transliteration Standard'', devised by the [[Guild of Linguists (restored)|first Guild of Linguists]] to have a 1-to-1 equivalence between D'ni and roman letters<ref>{{cite web|url=http://linguists.riedl.org/old/transcr.htm|title=The New D'ni Transcription Standard|website=Guild Of Linguists Homepage|access-date=September 6, 2020}}</ref>: '''Péiferen''' | ||
* LTS is ''Larry LeDeay's Transliterations Standard''<ref> | * LTS is ''Larry LeDeay's Transliterations Standard''<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.florestica.com/hpotd/dni-fonts/index.html|title=D'ni Fonts and Transliteration Characters|website=The Lost Library of D'ni|access-date=September 6, 2020}}</ref>, with an approach similar to the NTS: '''Pāiferen''' | ||
* RTS is ''Revised Transliteration Standard'', devised by KathTheDragon of the [[Guild of Linguists (restored)|new Guild of Linguists]] as a more consistent version of OTS: '''Peyiferen''' | * RTS is ''Revised Transliteration Standard'', devised by KathTheDragon of the [[Guild of Linguists (restored)|new Guild of Linguists]] as a more consistent version of OTS: '''Peyiferen''' | ||
* IPA is the ''[[w:International Phonetic Alphabet|International Phonetic Alphabet]]'', used by linguists to precisely describe the 'sound' of each letter, usually written between brackets: '''[peɪfɛɾɛn]''' | * IPA is the ''[[w:International Phonetic Alphabet|International Phonetic Alphabet]]'', used by linguists to precisely describe the 'sound' of each letter, usually written between brackets: '''[peɪfɛɾɛn]''' | ||
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Both basic letters and numerals are derived from basic shapes<ref> | === Letters-numerals comparison === | ||
Both basic letters and numerals are derived from basic shapes<ref>{{cite web|url=http://linguists.riedl.org/old/more-numbers.htm|title=The connections between the D'ni letters and the numbers|website=Guild of Linguists Homepage|access-date=September 6, 2020}}</ref>: | |||
{| class="wikitable" | {| class="wikitable" | ||
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The 'full stop' usage is the really different one, as it is always placed at the beginning of the sentence, not at the end. | The 'full stop' usage is the really different one, as it is always placed at the beginning of the sentence, not at the end. | ||
An apostrophe following a vowel represents a glottal stop; one following a consonant represents a schwa<ref>RAWA | An apostrophe following a vowel represents a glottal stop; one following a consonant represents a schwa<ref>{{cite forum post|url=|author=RAWA|title=More than you wanted to know about Aitrus/Atrus|forum=DRC forums|date=May 18, 2006 [link unavailable]}}</ref>. | ||
Example: | Example: | ||
: <dni>.Sora b'Sem - ga b'zU</dni> | : <dni>.Sora b'Sem - ga b'zU</dni> | ||
: <span style="font-size:85%">{{ | : <span style="font-size:85%">{{dni-text|.|shorah||b'-|shem}} - {{dni-text|gah||b'-|zoo}}</span> | ||
: "peace to you - and to me." | : "peace to you - and to me." | ||
== Stress == | == Stress == | ||
There isn't a fixed rule for word stress, and it can move when suffixes are attached<ref> | There isn't a fixed rule for word stress, and it can move when suffixes are attached<ref>{{cite forum post|url=https://mystonline.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=426543#p426543|author=larryf58|title=Comments on the Pictorial Dictionary?|forum=Myst Online forums|date=August 11, 2017}}</ref>: | ||
{| class="wikitable" | {| class="wikitable" | ||
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|} | |} | ||
When counting objects, numbers follow the noun they refer to, e.g. {{ | When counting objects, numbers follow the noun they refer to, e.g. {{dni-text|kor|-tee||sen}} "three books". | ||
The missing symbols are simply an overlap of two parts, e.g. 17 is 15 + 2. The names of the digits are a shortened form of the base ('''vaht''', '''nayvoo''', '''heebor''', '''rish''' → '''vah''', '''nay''', '''hee''', '''ri'') plus '''gah''' "and", plus the added number ('''fah''', '''bree''', '''sen''', '''tor'''). | The missing symbols are simply an overlap of two parts, e.g. 17 is 15 + 2. The names of the digits are a shortened form of the base ('''vaht''', '''nayvoo''', '''heebor''', '''rish''' → '''vah''', '''nay''', '''hee''', '''ri'') plus '''gah''' "and", plus the added number ('''fah''', '''bree''', '''sen''', '''tor'''). | ||
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|} | |} | ||
Example: {{ | Example: {{dni-text|vahgahbree}}, {{dni-text|naygahtor}}, {{dni-text|rigahsen}} "seven, fourteen, twentythree" | ||
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Each digit is written as the unit plus a suffix that denote the power, e.g.: | Each digit is written as the unit plus a suffix that denote the power, e.g.: | ||
:4|5 is {{ | :4|5 is {{dni-text|tor}}-'''{{dni-text|-see}}''' {{dni-text|vaht}} | ||
:12|21 is {{ | :12|21 is {{dni-text|naygahbree}}-'''{{dni-text|-see}}''' {{dni-text|rigahfah}} | ||
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== Word order == | == Word order == | ||
D'ni is a SVO language, i.e. the subject comes first, the verb follows, then comes the object. The article and the negation precede the noun, adjectives usually follow the noun, and adverbs follow the word they modify<ref> | D'ni is a SVO language, i.e. the subject comes first, the verb follows, then comes the object. The article and the negation precede the noun, adjectives usually follow the noun, and adverbs follow the word they modify<ref>{{cite web|url=http://linguists.bahro.com/domahreh/grammar/chapter2/wordorder.html|title=Word Order|website=A First Survey of the Facts for Writing D'ni|access-date=September 6, 2020|archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20050506165853/http://linguists.bahro.com/domahreh/grammar/chapter2/wordorder.html|archive-date=May 6, 2005}}</ref>. | ||
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Modifiers almost never come between the verb and its object. The indirect object almost always precedes the direct object; however, if the indirect obj. is modified by an adjective or adjectival phrase, it's the direct object that comes first. Adverbs can be placed at the beginning of a sentence to modify it entirely, e.g. {{ | Modifiers almost never come between the verb and its object. The indirect object almost always precedes the direct object; however, if the indirect obj. is modified by an adjective or adjectival phrase, it's the direct object that comes first. Adverbs can be placed at the beginning of a sentence to modify it entirely, e.g. {{dni-text|khahpo}} "perhaps". Modifying phrases can occur anywhere, but always close to the word they modify. Appositive phrases or vocatives that modify an implied subject appear near to where the implied subject would have been. Dependent clauses precede or follow but never split up the complete independent clause. | ||
Here are a few examples of relatively complex sentences from the Aitrus' Map: | Here are a few examples of relatively complex sentences from the Aitrus' Map: | ||
: {{ | : {{dni-text|loymaht||re-|mishtah|-tahv||robot||tso||re-|bishtah||ril||mahrent|-en||re-|say|-tee||kahg}} | ||
: "Though the actual construction of the tunnel doesn't follow the original designs," | : "Though the actual construction of the tunnel doesn't follow the original designs," | ||
: {{ | : {{dni-text|re-|lenah||gahth||shento|-en||blo||yahr|-tee||sen||f'-|toogo}} | ||
: "the journey still takes about three days on foot." (''"[[Reference:Aitrus's Map (D'ni)#Timepiece|D'ni Timepiece]]" text in Aitrus's Map'') | : "the journey still takes about three days on foot." (''"[[Reference:Aitrus's Map (D'ni)#Timepiece|D'ni Timepiece]]" text in Aitrus's Map'') | ||
: {{ | : {{dni-text|.|re-|tiwah}} ... {{dni-text|ko-|mes|-en||re-|doyhah|-tee||prad|teeg|-ahl||tor||gahro||b'-|fahsee}} | ||
: "The Shaft ... required the four greatest rock-working machines" | : "The Shaft ... required the four greatest rock-working machines" | ||
: {{ | : {{dni-text|t'-|biv||tre-|gahn||d'nee||gah|vailee|-tee||tren||b'-|choylahnay}} | ||
: "in all of the D'ni Empire and a few months to complete." (''"[[Reference:Aitrus's Map (D'ni)#Shaft|Shaft]]" text on Aitrus's Map'') | : "in all of the D'ni Empire and a few months to complete." (''"[[Reference:Aitrus's Map (D'ni)#Shaft|Shaft]]" text on Aitrus's Map'') | ||
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Examples: | Examples: | ||
: {{ | : {{dni-text|re-}}-{{dni-text|kor}} "the book"; {{dni-text|erth-}}-{{dni-text|kor}} "a book"; | ||
: {{ | : {{dni-text|re}}-{{dni-text|kor}}-{{dni-text|-tee}} "the book<u>s</u>"; {{dni-text|erth-}}-{{dni-text|kor}}-{{dni-text|-tee}} "some books". | ||
== Conjuctions and interjections == | == Conjuctions and interjections == | ||
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Example: | Example: | ||
: {{ | : {{dni-text|yim||re-|shokhoo|-tahn}} '''{{dni-text|gah}}''' {{dni-text|erth-|choor|-tahn|-tee}} '''{{dni-text|roob||ril}}''' {{dni-text|kor|-tee}} | ||
: "I see the instructor <u>and</u> some students <u>but</u> <u>no</u> books". | : "I see the instructor <u>and</u> some students <u>but</u> <u>no</u> books". | ||
Note that ''ril'' always precedes the word it negates. With lists, ''gah'' is repeated<ref> | Note that ''ril'' always precedes the word it negates. With lists, ''gah'' is repeated<ref>{{cite web|url=http://linguists.bahro.com/domahreh/grammar/chapter2/parallel.html|title=Parallelism|website=A First Survey of the Facts for Writing D'ni|access-date=September 6, 2020|archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20050506165828/http://linguists.bahro.com/domahreh/grammar/chapter2/parallel.html|archive-date=May 6, 2005}}</ref>: ''reshokhootahn gah rechoortahntee gah rekortee'' "the instructor, the students and the books". | ||
== Pronouns == | == Pronouns == | ||
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Examples: | Examples: | ||
: {{ | : {{dni-text|ril|yim|-em||zoo}} "you don't see me" | ||
: {{ | : {{dni-text|re-|prad||pisho|-en||b'-|set}} "the rock belongs to us" | ||
== Particles == | == Particles == | ||
In D'ni there are more than one word that translate "of", depending on the meaning. The two most common are<ref> | In D'ni there are more than one word that translate "of", depending on the meaning. The two most common are<ref>{{cite web|url=http://linguists.bahro.com/domahreh/grammar/chapter2/possession.html|title=Possession and Forms of 'of'|website=A First Survey of the Facts for Writing D'ni|access-date=September 6, 2020|archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20050506165904/http://linguists.bahro.com/domahreh/grammar/chapter2/possession.html|archive-date=May 6, 2005}}</ref>: | ||
{| class="wikitable" | {| class="wikitable" | ||
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Examples: | Examples: | ||
: {{ | : {{dni-text|ahno}} "water" → {{dni-text|ahnoets}} "watery" (wet) | ||
: {{ | : {{dni-text|vokan}} "birth" → {{dni-text|devokan}} "rebirth" (hope) | ||
: {{ | : {{dni-text|gahro}} "great" → {{dni-text|gahroth}} "greatness", {{dni-text|gahrosh}} "greatly" | ||
: {{ | : {{dni-text|mees}} "speak" → {{dni-text|meestahv}} "speech", {{dni-text|meestahn}} "speaker" | ||
== Verbs == | == Verbs == | ||
=== Infinitive === | === Infinitive === | ||
In English, that is done by putting "to" before the verb, e.g. "to see". In D'ni, it is done in a very similar way: ''b'yim'', "to see"<ref> | In English, that is done by putting "to" before the verb, e.g. "to see". In D'ni, it is done in a very similar way: ''b'yim'', "to see"<ref>{{cite web|url=http://linguists.bahro.com/domahreh/grammar/chapter2/verbals.html|title=Verbals and Their Use|website=A First Survey of the Facts for Writing D'ni|access-date=September 6, 2020|archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20050506165844/http://linguists.bahro.com/domahreh/grammar/chapter2/verbals.html|archive-date=May 6, 2005}}</ref> | ||
. The D'ni particle can also be used as a preposition, just like in English. | . The D'ni particle can also be used as a preposition, just like in English. | ||
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Examples: | Examples: | ||
: {{ | : {{dni-text|b'-|yim}} "to see"; | ||
: {{ | : {{dni-text|b'-|baykh}} "to link". | ||
=== "To be" vs "to exist" === | === "To be" vs "to exist" === | ||
The verb ''b'ken'' "to be" also means "to exist"<ref> | The verb ''b'ken'' "to be" also means "to exist"<ref>{{cite web|url=http://linguists.bahro.com/domahreh/grammar/chapter2/othersentence.html|title=Other Sentence Forms|website=A First Survey of the Facts for Writing D'ni|access-date=September 6, 2020|archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20050506165912/http://linguists.bahro.com/domahreh/grammar/chapter2/othersentence.html|archive-date=May 6, 2005}}</ref>: | ||
: {{ | : {{dni-text|.|re-|kor||ken|-en||tomet}} "the book is here" | ||
: {{ | : {{dni-text|.|ken|-en||erth-|kor}} "there is a book" | ||
=== Inflection === | === Inflection === | ||
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Examples: | Examples: | ||
: [[Atrus|Aytrus]] {{ | : [[Atrus|Aytrus]] {{dni-text|ken}}-{{dni-text|-en||erth-|seltahn||tso||sev|-tee}} "Atrus <u>is</u> a Writer of Ages"; | ||
: {{ | : {{dni-text|ken}}-{{dni-text|-tee||choor|-tahn|-tee}} "you <u>are</u> students". | ||
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Examples: | Examples: | ||
: {{ | : {{dni-text|le-}}–{{dni-text|hoor|-em||gorahyan|-oy}} "you have found my clock" | ||
: {{ | : {{dni-text|bo-}}-{{dni-text|laysoo|-em||tah||b'-|zoo}} "you will bring it to me" | ||
: {{ | : {{dni-text|re-|doyhah||do-}}-{{dni-text|mahlah|-en}} "the machine is coming" | ||
: {{ | : {{dni-text|dol-}}-{{dni-text|gid|-en||ben||pahrtahvo|-tee||vahgahfah}} "it has been excavating for six hours" | ||
=== Passives === | === Passives === | ||
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Examples: | Examples: | ||
: {{ | : {{dni-text|.tahg|-em|-ah||b'-|zoo||ah||re-|kor}}! "give me the book!" | ||
: {{ | : {{dni-text|.|eder|-et||voohee}}? "we could rest" | ||
: {{ | : {{dni-text|.|eder|-tee||yeret||ahgo}} "may you sleep well" | ||
: {{ | : {{dni-text|.|oshahn||ril|voohee}} "I cannot lose" | ||
Potentials and optatives can be combined: | Potentials and optatives can be combined: | ||
: {{ | : {{dni-text|.|gel|-en||voohee}} "she could write" | ||
: {{ | : {{dni-text|.|gel|-en||yeret}} "may she write" | ||
: {{ | : {{dni-text|.|chahn|choor|-en||b'-|gel}} "she is able to learn to write" | ||
: {{ | : {{dni-text|.|choor|-en||voohee||b'-|gel}} "she could learn to write" | ||
: {{ | : {{dni-text|.|choor|-en||yeret||b'-|gel}} "may she learn to write" | ||
: {{ | : {{dni-text|.|kamrov||voohee||bel|-en||roo||gel|-en||voohee}} "who could claim that they could write?" | ||
: {{ | : {{dni-text|.|bel|-en||yeret||roo||gel|-en||voohee}} "may she claim that she could write" | ||
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The past participle should not be confused with the passive form ''-ij'', although the differences between the two are not completely understood<ref> | The past participle should not be confused with the passive form ''-ij'', although the differences between the two are not completely understood<ref>{{cite web|url=http://linguists.bahro.com/domahreh/grammar/chapter2/participle.html|title=The Past Participle|website=A First Survey of the Facts for Writing D'ni|access-date=September 6, 2020|archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20050506165901/http://linguists.bahro.com/domahreh/grammar/chapter2/participle.html|archive-date=May 6, 2005}}</ref>. | ||
== Adverbs == | == Adverbs == | ||
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Examples: | Examples: | ||
: {{ | : {{dni-text|yim||shem|-tee}} '''{{dni-text|preniv}}''' {{dni-text|gormet}} "I see you <u>again</u> <u>now</u>" | ||
: {{ | : {{dni-text|kor|-tee}} '''{{dni-text|tomet}}''', {{dni-text|kor|-tee}} '''{{dni-text|tomot}}''' "books <u>here</u>, books <u>there</u>" | ||
: {{ | : {{dni-text|tahgahm||kor}} '''{{dni-text|met}}''' "I know <u>this</u> book" | ||
: {{ | : {{dni-text|tahgahm}} '''{{dni-text|met}}''' {{dni-text|kor||prin}} "I know <u>this</u> small book" | ||
Note that ''mot'' can also be used as a relative pronoun: ''rekor mot gelen'' "the book that he writes"; however, when referring to personal nouns ("who"), ''kamrov'' should be used: ''reshokhootahn kamrov yim'' "the instructor (who) I see"<ref> | Note that ''mot'' can also be used as a relative pronoun: ''rekor mot gelen'' "the book that he writes"; however, when referring to personal nouns ("who"), ''kamrov'' should be used: ''reshokhootahn kamrov yim'' "the instructor (who) I see"<ref>{{cite web|url=http://linguists.bahro.com/domahreh/grammar/chapter2/relative.html|title=Two Forms of 'that'|website=A First Survey of the Facts for Writing D'ni|access-date=September 6, 2020|archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20050506165840/http://linguists.bahro.com/domahreh/grammar/chapter2/relative.html|archive-date=May 6, 2005}}</ref>. | ||
''met'' and ''mot'' are singular when used as adjectives (''khoy hevtee met/mot dohooreet'' "if these/those words are found"), but plural when used as pronouns (''kokeneet pekay be motee/metee'' "they were | ''met'' and ''mot'' are singular when used as adjectives (''khoy hevtee met/mot dohooreet'' "if these/those words are found"), but plural when used as pronouns (''kokeneet pekay be motee/metee'' "they were insidious to those/these"). | ||
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Examples: | Examples: | ||
: {{ | : {{dni-text|.|ken|-en||torinai||gahth||te-|Delin}} "it is still cold in Delin" | ||
: {{ | : {{dni-text|.|megoyray||mre-|prad}} "straight out from the rock" | ||
Adverbs can be negated by prefixing them with ''ril''' "not" (note the apostrophe): | Adverbs can be negated by prefixing them with ''ril''' "not" (note the apostrophe): | ||
: {{ | : {{dni-text|.|re-|keelen||fahets||ken|-en||ten||ril}}'{{dni-text|tsahn}} "the first step is not always simple" | ||
"Never" can be expressed with ''tsahnril'': | "Never" can be expressed with ''tsahnril'': | ||
: {{ | : {{dni-text|.|re-|keelen||fahets||ken|-en||ten||tsahnril}} "the first step is never simple (lit. simple never)" | ||
but can also be expressed by negating the adjective<ref> | but can also be expressed by negating the adjective<ref>{{cite web|url=http://linguists.bahro.com/domahreh/grammar/chapter2/negative.html|title=The Negative 'Rihl'|website=A First Survey of the Facts for Writing D'ni|access-date=September 6, 2020|archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20050506165816/http://linguists.bahro.com/domahreh/grammar/chapter2/negative.html|archive-date=May 6, 2005}}</ref>: | ||
: {{ | : {{dni-text|.|re-|keelen||fahets||ken|-en||ril||ten||tsahn}} "the first step is never simple (lit. not-simple always)" | ||
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|- | |- | ||
| '''khe'''– | | '''khe'''– | ||
| for<ref> | | for<ref>{{cite web|url=http://linguists.bahro.com/domahreh/grammar/chapter2/behnkheh.html|title=Two Forms of 'for'|website=A First Survey of the Facts for Writing D'ni|access-date=September 6, 2020|archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20050506165808/http://linguists.bahro.com/domahreh/grammar/chapter2/behnkheh.html|archive-date=May 6, 2005}}</ref> | ||
|- | |- | ||
| '''fe'''– | | '''fe'''– | ||
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Examples: | Examples: | ||
: {{ | : {{dni-text|.|ken|-en||ahnoets||te}}[[Tetsonot]] | ||
: "It's humid <u>in</u> Tetsonot" | : "It's humid <u>in</u> Tetsonot" | ||
: {{ | : {{dni-text|.|ben||yahr|-tee||sen}} | ||
: "<u>for</u> 3 days"; | : "<u>for</u> 3 days"; | ||
: {{ | : {{dni-text|.|chev||ah||shem||ben||re-|kor}} | ||
: "I thank you <u>for</u> the book" | : "I thank you <u>for</u> the book" | ||
: {{ | : {{dni-text|.|ken|-en||gor||khe-|zoo||b'-|glo}} | ||
: "it's time <u>for</u> me to begin" | : "it's time <u>for</u> me to begin" | ||
: {{ | : {{dni-text|.|ne|re-|dovah}} | ||
: "<u>around</u> the world" | : "<u>around</u> the world" | ||
: {{ | : {{dni-text|.|me|D'nee||b-|re-|tahleeo}} | ||
: "<u>From</u> D'ni <u>to</u> the surface" | : "<u>From</u> D'ni <u>to</u> the surface" | ||
The precise usage of ''ah'' is uncertain; from the sources, the following rules can be inferred<ref> | The precise usage of ''ah'' is uncertain; from the sources, the following rules can be inferred<ref>{{cite web|url=http://linguists.bahro.com/domahreh/grammar/chapter2/objective.html|title=The Objective Particle|website=A First Survey of the Facts for Writing D'ni|access-date=September 6, 2020|archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20050506165848/http://linguists.bahro.com/domahreh/grammar/chapter2/objective.html|archive-date=May 6, 2005}}</ref>: | ||
{| class="wikitable" style="width: 80%;" | {| class="wikitable" style="width: 80%;" | ||
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Examples: | Examples: | ||
: {{ | : {{dni-text|.|tahg|-em|-ah||b'-|zoo||ah||re-|kor}} | ||
: "give me the book!" [physical encounter] | : "give me the book!" [physical encounter] | ||
: {{ | : {{dni-text|.|ril||glahs|-em|-ah||re-|ahno}} | ||
: "don't drink the water" [negation] | : "don't drink the water" [negation] | ||
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== Quantifiers == | == Quantifiers == | ||
D'ni express these in a peculiar way, by using a numerical scale ("to 2", "to 20")<ref> | D'ni express these in a peculiar way, by using a numerical scale ("to 2", "to 20")<ref>{{cite web|url=http://linguists.bahro.com/domahreh/grammar/chapter2/modifiers.html|title=Modifiers and Their Use|website=A First Survey of the Facts for Writing D'ni|access-date=September 6, 2020|archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20050506165820/http://linguists.bahro.com/domahreh/grammar/chapter2/modifiers.html|archive-date=May 6, 2005}}</ref>. The attested quantifiers are: | ||
{| class="wikitable" | {| class="wikitable" | ||
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Examples: | Examples: | ||
: {{ | : {{dni-text|.|tahgahm|-em||tsahn||bo-|taygahn||shem||b'-|fahsee}} | ||
: "you know, I will always love you, to the greatest extent" | : "you know, I will always love you, to the greatest extent" | ||
: {{ | : {{dni-text|.|re-|ahchah||ken|-en||wotsah||b'-|bree||te}}[[Minkata|Minkahtah]] | ||
: "the climate is a little harsh in Minkata" | : "the climate is a little harsh in Minkata" | ||
Line 1,292: | Line 1,294: | ||
Examples: | Examples: | ||
: {{ | : {{dni-text|.|dho||ken|-em}}? | ||
: "how are you?" | : "how are you?" | ||
: {{ | : {{dni-text|.|votahr||ah}}'{{dni-text|shem||khe|kamrov||ken|-em}} | ||
: "I praise you for who you are" | : "I praise you for who you are" | ||
Line 1,401: | Line 1,403: | ||
=== Holidays === | === Holidays === | ||
{{main|D'ni holidays}} | |||
{| class="wikitable" | {| class="wikitable" | ||
| New Year | | New Year | ||
Line 1,406: | Line 1,409: | ||
| April 20/21 | | April 20/21 | ||
|- | |- | ||
| The Common Library Opened | | The First Common Library Opened | ||
| '''Leefo 12''' | | '''Leefo 12''' | ||
| May 4/5 | | May 4/5 | ||
Line 1,438: | Line 1,441: | ||
| November 22/23 | | November 22/23 | ||
|- | |- | ||
| Lost | | Finding of the Lost Books of Birenni | ||
| '''Leevobro 12''' | | '''Leevobro 12''' | ||
| December 10/11 | | December 10/11 | ||
Line 1,446: | Line 1,449: | ||
| March 26/27 | | March 26/27 | ||
|- | |- | ||
| Day of the Circle | | The Day of the Circle | ||
| '''Leenovoo 18''' | | '''Leenovoo 18''' | ||
| April 6/7 | | April 6/7 | ||
Line 1,454: | Line 1,457: | ||
The full name of a [[Guild]] is '''tel–okh–______–tahn–tee''', literally "Guild of ______ers". This name is almost always shortened by omitting ''–okh–'', ''–tahn–tee'' and often shortening the verb itself. Examples: '''telokhseltahntee''' → '''telsel'''. | The full name of a [[Guild]] is '''tel–okh–______–tahn–tee''', literally "Guild of ______ers". This name is almost always shortened by omitting ''–okh–'', ''–tahn–tee'' and often shortening the verb itself. Examples: '''telokhseltahntee''' → '''telsel'''. | ||
There are two ways to identify a member of a specific guild: one is using the Short Name + '''ahm''', the other is obtained by omitting ''' | There are two ways to identify a member of a specific guild: one is using the Short Name + '''ahm''', the other is obtained by omitting '''tel–okh–''' and '''–tee''' from the Full Name. | ||
Examples: '''telselahm''' | Examples: '''telselahm''', '''seltahn'''. | ||
Some cases are a bit more complex, e.g. '''tel–okh–sheetem-soo-tahn-tee''' (lit. "Guild of Message Couriers") → '''telshee''' → '''telsheeahm''', but '''sheetemsootahn'''. | |||
A Guild Master is the Short Name + '''nahvah'''. Example: '''telselnahvah'''.<br /> | |||
A Grand Master is the Short Name + '''nahvah pahrah'''. Example: '''telselnahvah pahrah'''. | A Grand Master is the Short Name + '''nahvah pahrah'''. Example: '''telselnahvah pahrah'''. | ||
==Resources== | ==Resources== | ||
* [http://www.eldalamberon.com/dni_dict.htm A Dictionary of the Language of D'ni], by Kh'reestrefah | * [http://www.eldalamberon.com/dni_dict.htm A Dictionary of the Language of D'ni], by Kh'reestrefah | ||
* The [https://www.facebook.com/GoLinguists/ Guild of Linguists] Facebook page | |||
* Talashar's [https://talashargeltahn.wordpress.com/grammar/ D'ni Grammar] | |||
* The [http://www.florestica.com/hpotd/reference.html D'ni Language Resources] page at The Lost Library of D'ni | |||
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20160317013710/http://linguists.bahro.com/domahreh/lessons/ Rehchoortahn D'nee] (The D'ni Student), by Domareh | * [https://web.archive.org/web/20160317013710/http://linguists.bahro.com/domahreh/lessons/ Rehchoortahn D'nee] (The D'ni Student), by Domareh | ||
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20160304220219/http://linguists.bahro.com/domahreh/grammar/ A First Survey of the Facts for Writing D'ni], by Domareh | * [https://web.archive.org/web/20160304220219/http://linguists.bahro.com/domahreh/grammar/ A First Survey of the Facts for Writing D'ni], by Domareh | ||
* The first [http://linguists.riedl.org/old/ Guild of Linguists] | * The first [http://linguists.riedl.org/old/ Guild of Linguists] | ||
* The [ | * The [http://fadedtwilight.org/dnidict/index.html D'ni language] page at Faded Twilight (Yohshee) | ||
==References== | ==References== |
Latest revision as of 03:20, 17 July 2024
Alphabet[edit | edit source]
- D'NI is the encoding used by the Dnifont typeface, and by RAWA to precisely write D'ni words: pAiferen
- OTS is the Old Transliteration Standard, the most common way of writing D'ni in the Uru community: Payiferen
- NTS is the New Transliteration Standard, devised by the first Guild of Linguists to have a 1-to-1 equivalence between D'ni and roman letters[1]: Péiferen
- LTS is Larry LeDeay's Transliterations Standard[2], with an approach similar to the NTS: Pāiferen
- RTS is Revised Transliteration Standard, devised by KathTheDragon of the new Guild of Linguists as a more consistent version of OTS: Peyiferen
- IPA is the International Phonetic Alphabet, used by linguists to precisely describe the 'sound' of each letter, usually written between brackets: [peɪfɛɾɛn]
D'NI | OTS | NTS | LTS | RTS | IPA |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
' | ' | ' | ' | ' | ʔ/ɜ |
v | v | v | v | v | v |
b | b | b | b | b | b |
t | t | t | t | t | t |
s | s | s | s | s | s |
S | sh | š | sh | sh | ʃ |
j | j | j | j | j | d͡ʒ |
g | g | g | g | g | g |
y | y | y | y | y | j |
k | kh | x | kh | kh | x |
K | k | k | k | k | k |
a | ah | a | a | ah | ɑ |
I | ai | á | ī | ay | ai |
f | f | f | f | f | f |
p | p | p | p | p | p |
i | i | i | i | i | ɪ |
E | ee | í | ē | ee | i |
e | e | e | e | e | ɛ |
A | ay | é | ā | ey | e |
r | r | r | r | r | ɾ |
m | m | m | m | m | m |
T | th | þ | th | th | θ |
d | dh | ð | dh | dh | ð |
D | d | d | d | d | d |
h | h | h | h | h | h |
o | o | o | o | o | o |
O | oy | ó | oy | oy | oi |
c | ch | ç | ch | ch | t͡ʃ |
w | w | w | w | w | w |
u | uh | u | u | u | ə |
U | oo | ú | ū | oo | u |
x | ts | c | ts | ts | t͡s |
l | l | l | l | l | l |
å | a | æ | å | a | æ |
z | z | z | z | z | z |
n | n | n | n | n | n |
D'NI | OTS | NTS | LTS | RTS | IPA |
Letters-numerals comparison[edit | edit source]
Both basic letters and numerals are derived from basic shapes[3]:
' | v | t | s | j | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | |
y | k | a | f | i | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | |
e | r | m | T | d | ) | ! | @ | # | $ | |
h | o | c | w | u | % | ^ | & | * | ( | |
x | l | å | z | n | [ | ] | \ | { | } |
Punctuation[edit | edit source]
Punctuation appears to be scarce in D'ni texts. We know of three symbols:
. | begin sentence | ' | apostrophe | ×-× | dash |
The 'full stop' usage is the really different one, as it is always placed at the beginning of the sentence, not at the end.
An apostrophe following a vowel represents a glottal stop; one following a consonant represents a schwa[4].
Example:
Stress[edit | edit source]
There isn't a fixed rule for word stress, and it can move when suffixes are attached[5]:
Last syllable | Kerahth, Ri'neref, rifoon, morokhpor, D'nee |
2nd-to-last syllable | pahrahno, eleeahnith, Delin, ooroo |
3rd-to-last syllable | eleeahn (note the difference with eleeahn–ith) |
Numbers[edit | edit source]
The D'ni counted in base-25, i.e. they have 25 symbols per digit. But the system is actually simpler, because there are 5 basic shapes for digits from 0 to 5, then each of these is rotated on its side to represent a multiple of 5:
0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 |
0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 |
roon | fah | bree | sen | tor |
5 | ) | % | [ | |
5 | 10 | 15 | 20 | |
vaht | nayvoo | heebor | rish |
When counting objects, numbers follow the noun they refer to, e.g. kortee sen "three books".
The missing symbols are simply an overlap of two parts, e.g. 17 is 15 + 2. The names of the digits are a shortened form of the base ('vaht, nayvoo, heebor, rish → vah, nay, hee, ri) plus gah "and", plus the added number (fah, bree, sen, tor).
fah | bree | sen | tor | |
---|---|---|---|---|
0 (0 roon) | 1 1 | 2 2 | 3 3 | 4 4 |
5 5 vah–gah | 6 6 | 7 7 | 8 8 | 9 9 |
) 10 nay–gah | ! 11 | @ 12 | # 13 | $ 14 |
% 15 hee–gah | ^ 16 | & 17 | * 18 | ( 19 |
[ 20 ri–gah | ] 21 | \ 22 | { 23 | } 24 |
Example: vahgahbree, naygahtor, rigahsen "seven, fourteen, twentythree"
In our base-10 system, each digit on the left is a power of ten, 10 times greater than the one in the right, e.g. the number 12,345 can be broken down as:
- 1×104 + 2×103 + 3×102 + 4×10 + 5×1 = 12,345
The D'ni numbering system works in the same way, except the base is not 10 but 25, so 12,345 in D'ni is a far bigger number:
- 1×254 + 2×253 + 3×252 + 4×25 + 5×1
- = 1×390,625 + 2×15,625 + 3×625 + 4×25 + 5×1
- = 423,855
We know the names of the first five powers of 25:
255 | 254 | 253 | 252 | | |
9,765,625 | 390,625 | 15,625 | 625 | 25 |
fah–blo | fah–mel | fah–lahn | fah–rah | fah–see |
Each digit is written as the unit plus a suffix that denote the power, e.g.:
- 12|21 is naygahbree-see rigahfah
When the value is 0, that digit is simply skipped.
Here is an example of a big number ( #^05!4 = 133,206,529), broken down in its parts:
#^05!4 | DG05B4 |
naygahsenblo | 13·255 |
heegahfahmel | 16·254 |
0·253 | |
vahtrah | 5·252 |
naygahfahsee | 11·25 |
tor | 4 |
An interactive number converter is available here.
Word order[edit | edit source]
D'ni is a SVO language, i.e. the subject comes first, the verb follows, then comes the object. The article and the negation precede the noun, adjectives usually follow the noun, and adverbs follow the word they modify[6].
- articles – nouns – adjectives – verbs/adj. phrases – objects – adverbs
Modifiers almost never come between the verb and its object. The indirect object almost always precedes the direct object; however, if the indirect obj. is modified by an adjective or adjectival phrase, it's the direct object that comes first. Adverbs can be placed at the beginning of a sentence to modify it entirely, e.g. khahpo "perhaps". Modifying phrases can occur anywhere, but always close to the word they modify. Appositive phrases or vocatives that modify an implied subject appear near to where the implied subject would have been. Dependent clauses precede or follow but never split up the complete independent clause.
Here are a few examples of relatively complex sentences from the Aitrus' Map:
- loymaht remishtahtahv robot tso rebishtah ril mahrenten resaytee kahg
- "Though the actual construction of the tunnel doesn't follow the original designs,"
- relenah gahth shentoen blo yahrtee sen f'toogo
- "the journey still takes about three days on foot." ("D'ni Timepiece" text in Aitrus's Map)
- .retiwah ... komesen redoyhahtee pradteegahl tor gahro b'fahsee
- "The Shaft ... required the four greatest rock-working machines"
- t'biv tregahn d'nee gahvaileetee tren b'choylahnay
- "in all of the D'ni Empire and a few months to complete." ("Shaft" text on Aitrus's Map)
Articles and plural[edit | edit source]
In English one can refer to a specific object (the book) or to a generic one (a book), and of course one can refer to more than one object (the books, some books). In D'ni we have:
Definite: | re– | "the" | –tee | plurals | |
Indefinite: | erth– | "a, an" |
Examples:
Conjuctions and interjections[edit | edit source]
gah | and |
pahm | or |
roob | but |
ril | no(t) |
volah | yes |
Example:
- yim reshokhootahn gah erthchoortahntee roob ril kortee
- "I see the instructor and some students but no books".
Note that ril always precedes the word it negates. With lists, gah is repeated[7]: reshokhootahn gah rechoortahntee gah rekortee "the instructor, the students and the books".
Pronouns[edit | edit source]
Only the oblique pronouns are known:
sing | plur | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
1st | zoo me |
set us | ||
2nd | shem you |
shemtee you | ||
3rd | ze him/her |
tah it |
eest them |
In the sources, ze appears to be used as the English "her" (possibly "him", too), while tah is used as "it", i.e. with inanimate objects.
Examples:
Particles[edit | edit source]
In D'ni there are more than one word that translate "of", depending on the meaning. The two most common are[8]:
okh: | when expressing direct ownership, or describing a quality. Often suffixed. |
tso: | when expressing association or indirect possession, and where the possessed has greater agency. Often used with –tahn and –tahv words. |
Examples:
- korokh Gen - "Gehn's book" (FMR)
- korokh Jimah - "Book of Prophecies" (BD)
- erth lenahokh yahrtee sen - "a journey of three days" (DT)
- Regolantanteeokh Yahvo - "The Judges of Yahvo" (Koreen)
- Telokhsheetemsootahntee - "Guild of Messengers" (RAWA)
- Terokh Jerooth - "Tree of Possibility" (RAWA, DLG)
- ken Aytruhsokh D'nee - "I am Atrus of D'ni" (RAWA)
- trebigto iglahrno okh rekaligo - "with the temporary blessing of the Council" (JS)
- rekor oshahnin okh pahtstee oglahn - "the lost book of ancient cities" (RAWA)
- kokenen revog miro okh reviduh - "it was the toxic nature of the atmosphere" (GJ)
- remishtahtahv robot tso rebishtah - "the actual construction of the tunnel" (DT)
- remahrntahn greahreeuhtahn tso dovahot - "the creator and protector of our world" (Gate)
- bahreltahn tso dovahtee - "maker of worlds" (Gate)
- r'inaltahv tso donetsoet relem - "the [opportunity?] of us producing the ink" (Gate)
- remahnshootahv tso erthsev - "the death of an Age" (DLG)
- rezuh tso dovah met - "the end of this world" (Dome)
- khrekahntinahlothtee b'shento oolintahv tso D'nee - "for the [oppressed?] ones to take [control?] of D'ni" (KG)
- bbaykh b'totee rahnahl tso mahrntahvom - "to link to various places of your creation" (AP)
- t'khoytahg zuh tsoshem g'bortahom - "with end [result?] about you and your [purpose?] (AP)
To mark possession relative to a pronoun, D'ni uses six suffixes, one for each person and number:
sing | plur | |
---|---|---|
1st | koroy my book |
korot our book |
2nd | korom your book |
koromee your book |
3rd | koron his/her book |
koros their book |
Examples:
- okh een okh mishtahtahvoy - "of [any] of my construction" (GJ)
- te rekoy D'nee keebahem revaht - "in my D'ni [class] you obey the five" (Gehn)
- ahroyem be teegtahvom gah bodonahgahem - "you [attend?] to your work and you will be [improving?]" (Gehn)
- oonrayot Gen - "our lord Gehn" (Gate, Float)
- chevtahvtee b'mahryayshahteeot biv - "thanks to all our [fans?]" (Cyan)
- neegesh gopah tomahnahteeomee ... kokeneet t'paychahvo - "merely because your homes ... were in danger" (Orz)
- rilbotemahet hevteeos - "we will not [hear?] their words" (KG)
Modifiers[edit | edit source]
–ets | noun → adjective | –tahv | verb → noun (abstract) | |
–et | noun → adjective | –tahn | verb → noun (actor) | |
–th | adjective → noun | –on | adjective → verb | |
–(e)sh | adjective → adverb | de– | again, anew |
Note that when –esh is attached to a vowel, it loses the "e", e.g. gahro → gahrosh, unlike –ets which usually keeps it. The –eth suffix can identify a quality or be used as an epithet, e.g. gahroth "greatness" or "the great one".
The particle –et confers the meaning of "full of" ("thank–ful"), while –ets confers the meaning of a quality ("storm–y"). The latter also forms ordinals: tor "four" → torets "fourth".
Keep in mind the distinction between –ahl and –et: the present part. describes an action that the thing is currently doing, e.g. redoyhah choylahnayahl "the machine in the process of finishing".
The uncommon prefix –on is used with the meaning of "to make adj.", e.g. zithon "to make low" , i.e. "to lower".
A few verbs can also be used as nouns without the –tahv suffix, like eder "sleep" and say "design". No specific rule regarding which verbs can be used as such is known.
Examples:
- ahno "water" → ahnoets "watery" (wet)
- vokan "birth" → devokan "rebirth" (hope)
- gahro "great" → gahroth "greatness", gahrosh "greatly"
- mees "speak" → meestahv "speech", meestahn "speaker"
Verbs[edit | edit source]
Infinitive[edit | edit source]
In English, that is done by putting "to" before the verb, e.g. "to see". In D'ni, it is done in a very similar way: b'yim, "to see"[9] . The D'ni particle can also be used as a preposition, just like in English.
b', b– | to |
Examples:
"To be" vs "to exist"[edit | edit source]
The verb b'ken "to be" also means "to exist"[10]:
Inflection[edit | edit source]
In English, only the 3rd person singular is marked, by adding an "–s" to the root. In D'ni all persons are marked differently; for this reason the verb is never preceded by a pronoun (I, you, we, etc.). Note that the 1st person singular is just the root.
sing | plur | |
---|---|---|
1st | yim I see |
yimet we see |
2nd | yimem you see |
yimtee you see |
3rd | yimen he/she sees |
yimeet they see |
Examples:
- Aytrus ken-en erthseltahn tso sevtee "Atrus is a Writer of Ages";
- ken-tee choortahntee "you are students".
Tenses[edit | edit source]
Like English, D'ni has both simple ("I read") and continuous ("I am reading") tenses, each in simple ("I read") and perfect ("I have read") form.
past | present | future | |
simple | ko–gelen | gelen | bo–gelen |
she wrote | she writes | she will write | |
continuous | kodo-gelen | do-gelen | bodo-gelen |
she was writing | she is writing | she will be writing | |
perfect | kol–gelen | le–gelen | bol–gelen |
she had written | she has written | she will have written | |
perf. cont. | kodol-gelen | dol-gelen | bodol-gelen |
she had been writing | she has been writing | she will have been writing |
The perfect forms are formed with the simple forms + le, which loses the e when not by itself.
The future perfect has an alternative (and less common) form boko–. It is advisable to stick with bol–.
The progressive forms are formed with the simple forms + do.
Examples:
- redoyhah do-mahlahen "the machine is coming"
- dol-giden ben pahrtahvotee vahgahfah "it has been excavating for six hours"
Passives[edit | edit source]
Only a few, ambiguous rules can be inferred from the sources. In general, the usage is as follow (scheme by Khreestrefah):
Adjectival passives | ("-[]" marks a verb to be inflected ) |
<verb>-in | rekor oshahnin okh pahtstee oglahn |
"The lost book of ancient cities" | |
ken-[] <verb>-in | to met kenen bahvahnin |
"This place is [hidden]" | |
Passive infinitives | |
b'ken <verb>-ij | kenen gor khrezithahthtee b'ken elonij |
"It is time for the lowest ones to be raised" | |
Present passives | |
ken-[] <verb>-ij | renezetahn kenen k'teshij trelenah |
"The reader is entertained by the journey" | |
Future passives | |
boken-[] <verb>-ij | rilbokenet verenij |
"We will not be mollified" | |
Past passives | |
kodo<verb>-[] | rebishtah kodolahsahen trefilahdh |
"The tunnel was sealed at the top" | |
koken-[] ko<verb>-[] | retiwah kokenen kosayen t'telooknahvah gahrten |
"The shaft was designed by Surveyors Guild Master Garten" | |
Perfect passives | |
dol<verb>-[]-ij | khahpo rezuhnuh rildolgelenij gahth |
"Perhaps the ending has not yet been written" | |
Conditional passives | |
do<verb>-[] | khoy hevtee met dohooreet pahl rifoonemah roo ... |
"If these words are found then remember that..." | |
Passive absolutes | |
<verb>-en | sholen te telookahm Aytruhs |
"Prepared by Surveyors Guildsman Aitrus" |
In short, these are the attested passive forms:
past | present | future | |
simple | kokenen ko–gelen, kodo–gelen |
kenen gel–ij | bokenen gel–ij |
it was written | it is written | it will be written | |
continuous | ? | ? | ? |
it was being written | it is being written | it will be being written | |
perfect | ? | dol–gelen–ij | ? |
it had been written | it has been written | it will have been written | |
perf. cont. | ? | ? | ? |
it had been being written | it has been being written | it will have been being written |
Notes:
- A clue to the verb being passive is the absence of a direct object with a transitive verb.
- The suffix -ij might be required only by verbs not explicitly passive: compare rem'lah kodoreesenij "the lizard was eaten" and rem'lah kodoreesen "the lizard was eating". Where the verb cannot be intransitive, the prefix do- appears sufficient: Aytruhs kododormahdhen (te Gen) "Atrus was defeated (by Gehn)".
- Passives where the subject is implicit seem to take the ken auxiliary: redoo kodoreesenij te Aytruhs "the food was eaten by Atrus", but *ril bodoverenetij > rilbokenet verenij "we won't be mollified" (lit. "it won't be us mollified").
- The form koken [en] ko- appears to be a paraphrase of kodo-; it is still unclear if they are interchangeable or if there are cases in which form is preferred.
Participles and moods[edit | edit source]
The imperative is expressed with a suffix, while the potential and optative moods are expressed by adding a word after the verb. The imperative can also be used with the 1st plural person ("let's go!").
–ah | imperative |
v. + voohee | potential ("can/could") |
v. + yeret | optative ("may") |
chahn + v. | potential ("able to"?) |
yeret is possibly a crystallised form from "we wish". "Cannot" is rilvoohee. The additional modifier chahn– "able to" is only attested once, so its precise usage is uncertain.
It appears that voohee precedes the verb either when the phrase supports a subordinate, or when the phrase is interrogative.
Examples:
- .tahgemah b'zoo ah rekor! "give me the book!"
- .ederet voohee? "we could rest"
- .edertee yeret ahgo "may you sleep well"
- .oshahn rilvoohee "I cannot lose"
Potentials and optatives can be combined:
- .chahnchooren b'gel "she is able to learn to write"
- .chooren voohee b'gel "she could learn to write"
- .chooren yeret b'gel "may she learn to write"
- .kamrov voohee belen roo gelen voohee "who could claim that they could write?"
- .belen yeret roo gelen voohee "may she claim that she could write"
The –ah suffix also appears to be used as a superlative, e.g. zithahth "the Least", from zith "low" + ah + the adjective-to-noun -th suffix (see below).
The present and past participle are formed with suffixes, and usually act as adjectives.
–ahl | present partic. |
–in | past partic. |
The past participle should not be confused with the passive form -ij, although the differences between the two are not completely understood[11].
Adverbs[edit | edit source]
Adverbs normally follow the word they refer to, unless that word is modified by adjectives or other words. A few adverbs are composite, e.g. tomet is to "place" + met "this".
met(ee) | this (these) |
mot(ee) | that (those) |
gormet | now |
gormot | then |
tomet | here |
tomot | there |
preniv | again |
Examples:
- yim shemtee preniv gormet "I see you again now"
- kortee tomet, kortee tomot "books here, books there"
Note that mot can also be used as a relative pronoun: rekor mot gelen "the book that he writes"; however, when referring to personal nouns ("who"), kamrov should be used: reshokhootahn kamrov yim "the instructor (who) I see"[12].
met and mot are singular when used as adjectives (khoy hevtee met/mot dohooreet "if these/those words are found"), but plural when used as pronouns (kokeneet pekay be motee/metee "they were insidious to those/these").
blo | about |
gahth | still / yet |
gorven | soon |
kat | only / just |
megoyray | straight out |
tsahn | always / forever |
tsahnril | never |
Examples:
- .kenen torinai gahth teDelin "it is still cold in Delin"
- .megoyray mreprad "straight out from the rock"
Adverbs can be negated by prefixing them with ril' "not" (note the apostrophe):
"Never" can be expressed with tsahnril:
but can also be expressed by negating the adjective[13]:
Prepositions[edit | edit source]
be– | to |
te– | in / of / with / by |
se– | at / towards |
khe– | for[14] |
fe– | on |
me– | from / (made) of |
ne– | around |
ah | (marks object) |
ben | for (duration or equal exchange) |
The e is often substituted with an apostrophe, or omitted altogether in front of an article, with which prepositions often combine, e.g. be– → b'– ; be+re– → bre– . This usually doesn't happen with me– and ne– . With lists, prepositions are repeated: treshokhootahn trechoortahntee gahtrekortee "with the instructor, the students and the books".
Examples:
The precise usage of ah is uncertain; from the sources, the following rules can be inferred[15]:
Use ah | Do not use ah |
---|---|
in independent and dependent clauses, regardless of the verb form; when the relationship between the verb and its object involves a physical encounter; |
when the nature of the relationship between the verb and its object is more abstract; when ril negates the semantic value of the verb; |
Examples:
Quantifiers[edit | edit source]
D'ni express these in a peculiar way, by using a numerical scale ("to 2", "to 20")[16]. The attested quantifiers are:
b'bree | b'rish | b'rigahsen | b'fahsee |
a little | very, so | highly | maximally |
Examples:
W-words[edit | edit source]
kam | kamrov | kamto | [ kamgor ] | dho | kamdol |
what | who | where | [when] | how | why |
Examples:
Time[edit | edit source]
A D'ni year is approximately as long as an Earth year. A D'ni day however is about 30 hours long. The day has more subdivisions than hours, minutes and seconds:
hahr | = 10 vaileetee | = 290 yahrtee | = | ~year |
vailee | = 29 yahrtee | = | ~month | |
yahr | = 5 gahrtahvotee | = 25 pahrtahvotee | = | 30h 14′ |
gahrtahvo | = 5 pahrtahvotee | = 25 tahvotee | = | 6h 3′ |
pahrtahvo | = 5 tahvotee | = | 1h 13′ | |
tahvo | = 25 gorahntee | = | 14′ 30″ | |
gorahn | = 25 prorahntee | = | 35″ | |
prorahn | = | 1,35″ |
Months[edit | edit source]
1 | Leefo | Apr. 21–May 27 |
2 | Leebro | May 28–July 3 |
3 | Leesahn | Jul. 4–Aug. 8 |
4 | Leetar | Aug. 9–Sep. 14 |
5 | Leevot | Sep. 15–Oct. 20 |
6 | Leevofo | Oct. 21–Nov. 26 |
7 | Leevobro | Nov. 27–Jan. 1 |
8 | Leevosahn | Jan. 2–Feb. 7 |
9 | Leevotar | Feb. 8–Mar. 15 |
10 | Leenovoo | Mar. 16–Apr. 20 |
In leap years, the dates can move a day before, e.g. leefo would be on Apr. 20–May 26. The variability is included in the following table.
Holidays[edit | edit source]
New Year | Leefo 1 | April 20/21 |
The First Common Library Opened | Leefo 12 | May 4/5 |
Second Feast of the Maker | Leebro 20 | June 20/21 |
The Fall of D'ni | Leesahn 8 | July 12/13 |
The Day of Dancing | Leetar 21 | September 2/3 |
Writers Guild Founded | Leevot 9 | September 24/25 |
First Arrival of the Great King | Leevot 12 | September 28/29 |
Third Feast of the Maker | Leevofo 18 | November 11/12 |
Coronation of King Kerath | Leevofo 27 | November 22/23 |
Finding of the Lost Books of Birenni | Leevobro 12 | December 10/11 |
First Feast of the Maker | Leenovoo 10 | March 26/27 |
The Day of the Circle | Leenovoo 18 | April 6/7 |
Guild nomenclature[edit | edit source]
The full name of a Guild is tel–okh–______–tahn–tee, literally "Guild of ______ers". This name is almost always shortened by omitting –okh–, –tahn–tee and often shortening the verb itself. Examples: telokhseltahntee → telsel.
There are two ways to identify a member of a specific guild: one is using the Short Name + ahm, the other is obtained by omitting tel–okh– and –tee from the Full Name.
Examples: telselahm, seltahn.
Some cases are a bit more complex, e.g. tel–okh–sheetem-soo-tahn-tee (lit. "Guild of Message Couriers") → telshee → telsheeahm, but sheetemsootahn.
A Guild Master is the Short Name + nahvah. Example: telselnahvah.
A Grand Master is the Short Name + nahvah pahrah. Example: telselnahvah pahrah.
Resources[edit | edit source]
- A Dictionary of the Language of D'ni, by Kh'reestrefah
- The Guild of Linguists Facebook page
- Talashar's D'ni Grammar
- The D'ni Language Resources page at The Lost Library of D'ni
- Rehchoortahn D'nee (The D'ni Student), by Domareh
- A First Survey of the Facts for Writing D'ni, by Domareh
- The first Guild of Linguists
- The D'ni language page at Faded Twilight (Yohshee)
References[edit | edit source]
- ↑ "The New D'ni Transcription Standard", Guild Of Linguists Homepage, accessed September 6, 2020.
- ↑ "D'ni Fonts and Transliteration Characters", The Lost Library of D'ni, accessed September 6, 2020.
- ↑ "The connections between the D'ni letters and the numbers", Guild of Linguists Homepage, accessed September 6, 2020.
- ↑ [ RAWA], "More than you wanted to know about Aitrus/Atrus", DRC forums, May 18, 2006 [link unavailable].
- ↑ larryf58, "Comments on the Pictorial Dictionary?", Myst Online forums, August 11, 2017.
- ↑ "Word Order", A First Survey of the Facts for Writing D'ni, accessed September 6, 2020. Archived from the original on May 6, 2005.
- ↑ "Parallelism", A First Survey of the Facts for Writing D'ni, accessed September 6, 2020. Archived from the original on May 6, 2005.
- ↑ "Possession and Forms of 'of'", A First Survey of the Facts for Writing D'ni, accessed September 6, 2020. Archived from the original on May 6, 2005.
- ↑ "Verbals and Their Use", A First Survey of the Facts for Writing D'ni, accessed September 6, 2020. Archived from the original on May 6, 2005.
- ↑ "Other Sentence Forms", A First Survey of the Facts for Writing D'ni, accessed September 6, 2020. Archived from the original on May 6, 2005.
- ↑ "The Past Participle", A First Survey of the Facts for Writing D'ni, accessed September 6, 2020. Archived from the original on May 6, 2005.
- ↑ "Two Forms of 'that'", A First Survey of the Facts for Writing D'ni, accessed September 6, 2020. Archived from the original on May 6, 2005.
- ↑ "The Negative 'Rihl'", A First Survey of the Facts for Writing D'ni, accessed September 6, 2020. Archived from the original on May 6, 2005.
- ↑ "Two Forms of 'for'", A First Survey of the Facts for Writing D'ni, accessed September 6, 2020. Archived from the original on May 6, 2005.
- ↑ "The Objective Particle", A First Survey of the Facts for Writing D'ni, accessed September 6, 2020. Archived from the original on May 6, 2005.
- ↑ "Modifiers and Their Use", A First Survey of the Facts for Writing D'ni, accessed September 6, 2020. Archived from the original on May 6, 2005.