Editing D'ni grammar

== Alphabet ==

* 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 [[Guild of Linguists (restored)|first Guild of Linguists]] to have a 1-to-1 equivalence between D'ni and roman letters<ref>"[http://linguists.riedl.org/old/transcr.htm The New D'ni Transcription Standard]", Guild Of Linguists Homepage, accessed September 6, 2020.</ref>: '''Péiferen'''
* LTS is ''Larry LeDeay's Transliterations Standard''<ref>"[http://www.florestica.com/hpotd/dni-fonts/index.html D'ni Fonts and Transliteration Characters]", The Lost Library of D'ni, accessed 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'''
* 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]'''


{| class="wikitable mw-collapsible"
|+ class="nowrap" | D'ni alphabet
! D'NI
! OTS
! NTS
! LTS
! RTS
! IPA
|-
| <dni>'</dni>
| '
| '
| '
| '
| ʔ/ɜ
|-
| <dni>v</dni>
| v
| v
| v
| v
| v
|-
| <dni>b</dni>
| b
| b
| b
| b
| b
|-
| <dni>t</dni>
| t
| t
| t
| t
| t
|-
| <dni>s</dni>
| s
| s
| s
| s
| s
|-
| <dni>S</dni>
| sh
| š
| sh
| sh
| ʃ
|-
| <dni>j</dni>
| j
| j
| j
| j
| d͡ʒ
|-
| <dni>g</dni>
| g
| g
| g
| g
| g
|-
| <dni>y</dni>
| y
| y
| y
| y
| j
|-
| <dni>k</dni>
| kh
| x
| kh
| kh
| x
|-
| <dni>K</dni>
| k
| k
| k
| k
| k
|-
| <dni>a</dni>
| ah
| a
| a
| ah
| ɑ
|-
| <dni>I</dni>
| ai
| á
| ī
| ay
| ai
|-
| <dni>f</dni>
| f
| f
| f
| f
| f
|-
| <dni>p</dni>
| p
| p
| p
| p
| p
|-
| <dni>i</dni>
| i
| i
| i
| i
| ɪ
|-
| <dni>E</dni>
| ee
| í
| ē
| ee
| i
|-
| <dni>e</dni>
| e
| e
| e
| e
| ɛ
|-
| <dni>A</dni>
| ay
| é
| ā
| ey
| e
|-
| <dni>r</dni>
| r
| r
| r
| r
| ɾ
|-
| <dni>m</dni>
| m
| m
| m
| m
| m
|-
| <dni>T</dni>
| th
| þ
| th
| th
| θ
|-
| <dni>d</dni>
| dh
| ð
| dh
| dh
| ð
|-
| <dni>D</dni>
| d
| d
| d
| d
| d
|-
| <dni>h</dni>
| h
| h
| h
| h
| h
|-
| <dni>o</dni>
| o
| o
| o
| o
| o
|-
| <dni>O</dni>
| oy
| ó
| oy
| oy
| oi
|-
| <dni>c</dni>
| ch
| ç
| ch
| ch
| t͡ʃ
|-
| <dni>w</dni>
| w
| w
| w
| w
| w
|-
| <dni>u</dni>
| uh
| u
| u
| u
| ə
|-
| <dni>U</dni>
| oo
| ú
| ū
| oo
| u
|-
| <dni>x</dni>
| ts
| c
| ts
| ts
| t͡s
|-
| <dni>l</dni>
| l
| l
| l
| l
| l
|-
| <dni>å</dni>
| a
| æ
| å
| a
| æ
|-
| <dni>z</dni>
| z
| z
| z
| z
| z
|-
| <dni>n</dni>
| n
| n
| n
| n
| n
|-
! D'NI
! OTS
! NTS
! LTS
! RTS
! IPA
|}


Both basic letters and numerals are derived from basic shapes<ref>"[http://linguists.riedl.org/old/more-numbers.htm The connections between the D'ni letters and the numbers]", Guild of Linguists Homepage, accessed September 6, 2020.</ref>:

{| class="wikitable"
| <dni>'</dni>
| <dni>v</dni>
| <dni>t</dni>
| <dni>s</dni>
| <dni>j</dni>
| &nbsp;
| <dni>0</dni>
| <dni>1</dni>
| <dni>2</dni>
| <dni>3</dni>
| <dni>4</dni>
|-
| <dni>y</dni>
| <dni>k</dni>
| <dni>a</dni>
| <dni>f</dni>
| <dni>i</dni>
| &nbsp;
| <dni>5</dni>
| <dni>6</dni>
| <dni>7</dni>
| <dni>8</dni>
| <dni>9</dni>
|-
| <dni>e</dni>
| <dni>r</dni>
| <dni>m</dni>
| <dni>T</dni>
| <dni>d</dni>
| &nbsp;
| <dni>)</dni>
| <dni>!</dni>
| <dni>@</dni>
| <dni>#</dni>
| <dni>$</dni>
|-
| <dni>h</dni>
| <dni>o</dni>
| <dni>c</dni>
| <dni>w</dni>
| <dni>u</dni>
| &nbsp;
| <dni>%</dni>
| <dni>^</dni>
| <dni>&</dni>
| <dni>*</dni>
| <dni>(</dni>
|-
| <dni>x</dni>
| <dni>l</dni>
| <dni>å</dni>
| <dni>z</dni>
| <dni>n</dni>
| &nbsp;
| <dni>[</dni>
| <dni>]</dni>
| <dni>\</dni>
| <dni>{</dni>
| <dni>}</dni>
|}


=== Punctuation ===

Punctuation appears to be scarce in D'ni texts. We know of three symbols:

{| class="wikitable"
| <dni>.</dni>
| begin sentence
| &nbsp;
| <dni>'</dni>
| apostrophe
| &nbsp;
| <dni>×-×</dni>
| 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<ref>RAWA, "More than you wanted to know about Aitrus/Atrus". ''DRC forums''. May 18, 2006. [link unavailable]</ref>.

Example:
: <dni>.Sora b'Sem - ga b'zU</dni>
: <span style="font-size:85%">{{dni-text|.|shorah||b'-|shem}} - {{dni-text|gah||b'-|zoo}}</span>
: "peace to you - and to me."

== Stress ==
There isn't a fixed rule for word stress, and it can move when suffixes are attached<ref>[https://mystonline.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=426543#p426543 larryf58], "Comments on the Pictorial Dictionary?". Myst Online forums.  August 11, 2017.</ref>:

{| class="wikitable"
| ''Last syllable''
| Ker<u>ahth</u>, Ri'ner<u>ef</u>, ri<u>foon</u>, morokh<u>por</u>, D'<u>nee</u>
|-
| ''2nd-to-last syllable''
| pahr<u>ah</u>no, elee<u>ahn</u>ith, <u>De</u>lin, <u>oo</u>roo
|-
| ''3rd-to-last syllable''
| <u>el</u>eeahn (''note the difference with elee<u>ahn</u>–ith'')
|}

== Numbers ==
{{Main|D'ni numerals}}
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:

{| class="wikitable"
| style="text-align: center;" | <dni>0</dni>
| style="text-align: center;" | <dni>1</dni>
| style="text-align: center;" | <dni>2</dni>
| style="text-align: center;" | <dni>3</dni>
| style="text-align: center;" | <dni>4</dni>
|-
| style="text-align: center;" | 0
| style="text-align: center;" | 1
| style="text-align: center;" | 2
| style="text-align: center;" | 3
| style="text-align: center;" | 4
|-
| style="text-align: center;" | '''roon'''
| style="text-align: center;" | '''fah'''
| style="text-align: center;" | '''bree'''
| style="text-align: center;" | '''sen'''
| style="text-align: center;" | '''tor'''
|-
| 
| style="text-align: center;" | <dni>5</dni>
| style="text-align: center;" | <dni>)</dni>
| style="text-align: center;" | <dni>%</dni>
| style="text-align: center;" | <dni>[</dni>
|-
| 
| style="text-align: center;" | 5
| style="text-align: center;" | 10
| style="text-align: center;" | 15
| style="text-align: center;" | 20
|-
| 
| style="text-align: center;" | '''vaht'''
| style="text-align: center;" | '''nayvoo'''
| style="text-align: center;" | '''heebor'''
| style="text-align: center;" | '''rish'''
|}

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''').

{| class="wikitable"
!
! fah
! bree
! sen
! tor
|-
| <dni>{{huge|0 }}</dni> (0 '''roon''')
| <dni>{{huge|1 }}</dni> 1
| <dni>{{huge|2 }}</dni> 2
| <dni>{{huge|3 }}</dni> 3
| <dni>{{huge|4 }}</dni> 4
|-
| <dni>{{huge|5 }}</dni> 5 '''vah–gah'''
| <dni>{{huge|6 }}</dni> 6
| <dni>{{huge|7 }}</dni> 7
| <dni>{{huge|8 }}</dni> 8
| <dni>{{huge|9 }}</dni> 9
|-
| <dni>{{huge|) }}</dni> 10 '''nay–gah'''
| <dni>{{huge|! }}</dni> 11
| <dni>{{huge|@ }}</dni> 12
| <dni>{{huge|# }}</dni> 13
| <dni>{{huge|$ }}</dni> 14
|-
| <dni>{{huge|% }}</dni> 15 '''hee–gah'''
| <dni>{{huge|^ }}</dni> 16
| <dni>{{huge|& }}</dni> 17
| <dni>{{huge|* }}</dni> 18
| <dni>{{huge|( }}</dni> 19
|-
| <dni>{{huge|[ }}</dni> 20 '''ri–gah'''
| <dni>{{huge|] }}</dni> 21
| <dni>{{huge|\ }}</dni> 22
| <dni>{{huge|{ }}</dni> 23
| <dni>{{huge|} }}</dni> 24
|}

Example: {{dni-text|vahgahbree}}, {{dni-text|naygahtor}}, {{dni-text|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&times;10<sup>4</sup> + 2&times;10<sup>3</sup> + 3&times;10<sup>2</sup> + 4&times;10 + 5&times;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&times;25<sup>4</sup> + 2&times;25<sup>3</sup> + 3&times;25<sup>2</sup> + 4&times;25 + 5&times;1

: = 1&times;390,625 + 2&times;15,625 + 3&times;625 + 4&times;25 + 5&times;1

: = 423,855


We know the names of the first five powers of 25:

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align: center;"
| 25<sup>5</sup>
| 25<sup>4</sup>
| 25<sup>3</sup>
| 25<sup>2</sup>
| <dni>|</dni>
|-
| 9,765,625
| 390,625
| 15,625
| 625
| 25
|-
| <b>fah</b>–<b>blo</b>
| <b>fah</b>–<b>mel</b>
| <b>fah</b>–<b>lahn</b>
| <b>fah</b>–<b>rah</b>
| <b>fah</b>–<b>see</b>
|}

Each digit is written as the unit plus a suffix that denote the power, e.g.:

:4|5 is {{dni-text|tor}}-'''{{dni-text|-see}}''' {{dni-text|vaht}}

:12|21 is {{dni-text|naygahbree}}-'''{{dni-text|-see}}''' {{dni-text|rigahfah}}


When the value is 0, that digit is simply skipped.


Here is an example of a big number ( <dni>#^05!4</dni>&nbsp; = 133,206,529), broken down in its parts:

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align: right;"
| <dni>#^05!4</dni>
| DG05B4
|-
| naygahsen''blo''
| 13&middot;25<sup>5</sup>
|-
| heegahfah''mel''
| 16&middot;25<sup>4</sup>
|-
| 
| 0&middot;25<sup>3</sup>
|-
| vaht''rah''
| 5&middot;25<sup>2</sup>
|-
| naygahfah''see''
| 11&middot;25
|-
| tor
| 4
|}

An interactive number converter is available [https://www.guildofarchivists.org/utilities/numberconverter/ here].

== 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>"[http://web.archive.org/web/20050506165853/http://linguists.bahro.com/domahreh/grammar/chapter2/wordorder.html Word Order]", A First Survey of the Facts for Writing D'ni, accessed September 6, 2020. Archived from the original on May 6, 2005.</ref>.


: <span style="font-size:120%">articles – nouns – adjectives – verbs/adj. phrases – objects – adverbs</span>


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:

: {{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,"
: {{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'')

: {{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"
: {{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'')

== Articles and plural ==

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 book'''s''', some book'''s'''). In D'ni we have:

{| class="wikitable"
| Definite:
| '''re–'''
| "the"
| &nbsp;
| '''–tee'''
| plurals
|-
| Indefinite:
| '''erth–'''
| "a, an"
|
|
|
|}

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 ==

{| class="wikitable"
| '''gah'''
| and
|-
| '''pahm'''
| or
|-
| '''roob'''
| but
|-
| '''ril'''
| no(t)
|-
| '''volah'''
| yes
|}

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".

Note that ''ril'' always precedes the word it negates. With lists, ''gah'' is repeated<ref>"[http://web.archive.org/web/20050506165828/http://linguists.bahro.com/domahreh/grammar/chapter2/parallel.html Parallelism]", A First Survey of the Facts for Writing D'ni, accessed September 6, 2020. Archived from the original on May 6, 2005.</ref>: ''reshokhootahn gah rechoortahntee gah rekortee'' "the instructor, the students and the books".

== Pronouns ==

Only the ''oblique'' pronouns are known:

{| class="wikitable"
! 
! sing
!
! &nbsp;
! plur
|-
| ''1st''
| '''zoo'''<br/>me
|
|
| '''set'''<br/>us
|-
| ''2nd''
| '''shem'''<br/>you
|
|
| '''shemtee'''<br/>you
|-
| ''3rd''
| '''ze'''<br/>him/her
| '''tah'''<br/>it
|
| '''eest'''<br/>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:
: {{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 ==

In D'ni there are more than one word that translate "of", depending on the meaning. The two most common are<ref>"[http://web.archive.org/web/20050506165904/http://linguists.bahro.com/domahreh/grammar/chapter2/possession.html 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.</ref>:

{| class="wikitable"
| '''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:
: ''kor'''okh''' Gen'' - "Gehn's book" ([[From Myst to Riven|FMR]])
: ''kor'''okh''' Jimah'' - "Book of Prophecies" ([[Myst: The Book of D'ni|BD]])
: ''erth lenah'''okh''' yahrtee sen'' - "a journey of three days" ([[Reference:Aitrus's Map (D'ni)#Timepiece|DT]])
: ''Regolantantee'''okh''' Yahvo'' - "The Judges of Yahvo" ([[Reference:DRC research notebooks/King Koreen|Koreen]])
: ''Tel'''okh'''sheetemsootahntee'' - "Guild of Messengers" (RAWA)
: ''Ter'''okh''' Jerooth'' - "Tree of Possibility" (RAWA, DLG)
: ''ken Aytruhs'''okh''' D'nee'' - "I am Atrus of D'ni" (RAWA)
: ''trebigto iglahrno '''okh''' rekaligo'' - "with the temporary blessing of the Council" ([[Reference:Aitrus's Map (D'ni)#Journey to the Surface|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" ([[Reference:Gehn, Riven journal excerpts|GJ]])

: ''remishtahtahv robot '''tso''' rebishtah'' - "the actual construction of the tunnel" ([[Reference:Aitrus's Map (D'ni)#Timepiece|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" ([[Reference:Riven inscriptions#Dome|Dome]])
: ''khrekahntinahlothtee b'shento oolintahv '''tso''' D'nee'' - "for the [oppressed?] ones to take [control?] of D'ni" ([[Reference:Kenen Gor note|KG]])
: ''bbaykh b'totee rahnahl '''tso''' mahrntahvom'' - "to link to various places of your creation" ([[Reference:Atrus's Prayer|AP]])
: ''t'khoytahg zuh '''tso'''shem g'bortahom'' - "with end [result?] about you and your [purpose?] ([[Reference:Atrus's Prayer|AP]])


To mark ''possession'' relative to a pronoun, D'ni uses six suffixes, one for each person and number:

{| class="wikitable"
!
! sing
! plur
|-
| ''1st''
| kor'''oy'''<br/>my book
| kor'''ot'''<br/>our book
|-
| ''2nd''
| kor'''om'''<br/>your book
| kor'''omee'''<br/>your book
|-
| ''3rd''
| kor'''on'''<br/>his/her book
| kor'''os'''<br/>their book
|}


Examples:
: okh een okh mishtahtahv'''oy''' - "of [any] of my construction" ([[Reference:Gehn, Riven journal excerpts|GJ]])
: te rek'''oy''' D'nee keebahem revaht - "in my D'ni [class] you obey the five" ([[Reference:Gehn, schoolhouse imager recording|Gehn]])
: ahroyem be teegtahv'''om''' gah bodonahgahem - "you [attend?] to your work and you will be [improving?]" ([[Reference:Gehn, schoolhouse imager recording|Gehn]])
: oonray'''ot''' Gen - "our lord Gehn" (Gate, Float)
: chevtahvtee b'mahryayshahtee'''ot''' biv - "thanks to all our [fans?]" (Cyan)
: neegesh gopah tomahnahtee'''omee''' ... kokeneet t'paychahvo - "merely because your homes ... were in danger" ([[Reference:Orz Sentence|Orz]])
: rilbotemahet hevtee'''os''' - "we will not [hear?] their words" ([[Reference:Kenen Gor note|KG]])


=== Modifiers ===
{| class="wikitable"
| –<b>ets</b>
| noun → adjective
| &nbsp;
| –<b>tahv</b>
| verb → noun (abstract)
|-
| –<b>et</b>
| noun → adjective
| &nbsp;
| –<b>tahn</b>
| verb → noun (actor)
|-
| –<b>th</b>
| adjective → noun
| &nbsp;
| –<b>on</b>
| adjective → verb
|-
| –(<b>e</b>)<b>sh</b>
| adjective → adverb
| &nbsp;
| <b>de</b>–
| 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:
: {{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 ==
=== 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>"[http://web.archive.org/web/20050506165844/http://linguists.bahro.com/domahreh/grammar/chapter2/verbals.html 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.</ref>
. The D'ni particle can also be used as a preposition, just like in English.

{| class="wikitable"
| '''b'''', '''b–'''
| to
|}

Examples:
: {{dni-text|b'-|yim}} "to see";
: {{dni-text|b'-|baykh}} "to link".


=== "To be" vs "to exist" ===
The verb ''b'ken'' "to be" also means "to exist"<ref>"[http://web.archive.org/web/20050506165912/http://linguists.bahro.com/domahreh/grammar/chapter2/othersentence.html 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.</ref>:

: {{dni-text|.|re-|kor||ken|-en||tomet}} "the book is here"
: {{dni-text|.|ken|-en||erth-|kor}} "there is a book"

=== Inflection ===
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.

{| class="wikitable"
!
! sing
! plur
|-
| ''1st''
| yim<br/>I see
| yim'''et'''<br/>we see
|-
| ''2nd''
| yim'''em'''<br/>you see
| yim'''tee'''<br/>you see
|-
| ''3rd''
| yim'''en'''<br/>he/she sees
| yim'''eet'''<br/>they see
|}


Examples:
: [[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".


=== Tenses ===
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.

{| class="wikitable"
| 
| ''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:
: {{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 ===

Only a few, ambiguous rules can be inferred from the sources. In general, the usage is as follow (scheme by Khreestrefah):

{| class="wikitable"
| '''Adjectival passives'''
| ("-[]" ''marks a verb to be inflected'' )
|-
| <verb>-in
| rekor oshahn'''in''' okh pahtstee oglahn
|-
| 
| "The <u>lost</u> book of ancient cities"
|-
| ken-[] <verb>-in
| to met '''ken'''en bahvahn'''in'''
|-
| 
| "This place is [<u>hidden</u>]"
|-
| '''Passive infinitives'''
| 
|-
| b'ken <verb>-ij
| kenen gor khrezithahthtee '''b'ken''' elon'''ij'''
|-
| 
| "It is time for the lowest ones <u>to be raised</u>"
|-
| '''Present passives'''
| 
|-
| ken-[] <verb>-ij
| renezetahn '''kenen''' k'tesh'''ij''' trelenah
|-
| 
| "The reader <u>is entertained</u> by the journey"
|-
| '''Future passives'''
| 
|-
| boken-[] <verb>-ij
| ril'''boken'''et veren'''ij'''
|-
| 
| "We will not be mollified"
|-
| '''Past passives'''
| 
|-
| kodo<verb>-[]
| rebishtah '''kodo'''lahsahen trefilahdh
|-
| 
| "The tunnel <u>was sealed</u> at the top"
|-
| koken-[] ko<verb>-[]
| retiwah '''koken'''en '''ko'''sayen t'telooknahvah gahrten
|-
| 
| "The shaft <u>was designed</u> by Surveyors Guild Master Garten"
|-
| '''Perfect passives'''
| 
|-
| dol<verb>-[]-ij
| khahpo rezuhnuh ril'''dol'''gelen'''ij''' gahth
|-
| 
| "Perhaps the ending <u>has</u> not yet <u>been written</u>"
|-
| '''Conditional passives'''
| 
|-
| do<verb>-[]
| khoy hevtee met '''do'''hooreet pahl rifoonemah roo ...
|-
| 
| "If these words <u>are found</u> then remember that..."
|-
| '''Passive absolutes'''
| 
|-
| <verb>-en
| shol'''en''' te telookahm Aytruhs
|-
| 
| "<u>Prepared</u> by Surveyors Guildsman Aitrus"
|}


In short, these are the attested passive forms:

{| class="wikitable"
| 
| ''past''
| ''present''
| ''future''
|-
| ''simple''
| '''kokenen ko'''–gelen,<br />'''kodo'''–gelen
| '''kenen''' gel–'''ij'''
| '''bokenen''' gel–'''ij'''
|-
| 
| it was written
| it is written
| it will be written
|-
| 
|-
| ''continuous''
| &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; '''?'''
| &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; '''?'''
| &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; '''?'''
|-
| 
| it was being written
| it is being written
| it will be being written
|-
| 
|-
| ''perfect''
| &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; '''?'''
| '''dol'''–gelen–'''ij'''
| &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; '''?'''
|-
| 
| it had been written
| it has been written
| it will have been written
|-
| 
|-
| perf. cont.
| &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; '''?'''
| &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; '''?'''
| &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; '''?'''
|-
| 
| 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 ===

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!").

{| class="wikitable"
| <b>–ah</b>
| imperative
|-
| <b>v. + voohee</b>
| potential ("can/could")
|-
| <b>v. + yeret</b>
| optative ("may")
|-
| <b>chahn + v.</b>
| 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.<br />
It appears that ''voohee'' precedes the verb either when the phrase supports a subordinate, or when the phrase is interrogative.


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:
: {{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"


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.

{| class="wikitable"
| <b>–ahl</b>
| present partic.
|-
| <b>–in</b>
| past partic.
|}


The past participle should not be confused with the passive form ''-ij'', although the differences between the two are not completely understood<ref>"[http://web.archive.org/web/20050506165901/http://linguists.bahro.com/domahreh/grammar/chapter2/participle.html 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.</ref>.

== Adverbs ==

''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".

{| class="wikitable"
| '''met'''('''ee''')
| this (these)
|-
|'''mot'''('''ee''')
| that (those)
|-
| '''gormet'''
| now
|-
| '''gormot'''
| then
|-
| '''tomet'''
| here
|-
| '''tomot'''
| there
|-
|'''preniv'''
| again
|}


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>"[http://web.archive.org/web/20050506165840/http://linguists.bahro.com/domahreh/grammar/chapter2/relative.html 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.</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 [similar] to those/these").


{| class="wikitable"
| '''blo'''
| about
|-
| '''gahth'''
| still / yet
|-
| '''gorven'''
| soon
|-
| '''kat'''
| only / just
|-
| '''megoyray'''
| straight out
|-
| '''tsahn'''
| always / forever
|-
| '''tsahnril'''
| never
|}


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):

: {{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'':

: {{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>"[http://web.archive.org/web/20050506165816/http://linguists.bahro.com/domahreh/grammar/chapter2/negative.html 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.</ref>:

: {{dni-text|.|re-|keelen||fahets||ken|-en||ril||ten||tsahn}} "the first step is never simple (lit. not-simple always)" 


== Prepositions ==

{| class="wikitable"
| '''be'''–
| to
|-
| '''te'''–
| in / of / with / by
|-
| '''se'''–
| at / towards
|-
| '''khe'''–
| for<ref>"[http://web.archive.org/web/20050506165808/http://linguists.bahro.com/domahreh/grammar/chapter2/behnkheh.html 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.</ref>
|-
| '''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:
: {{dni-text|.|ken|-en||ahnoets||te}}[[Tetsonot]]
: "It's humid <u>in</u> Tetsonot"

: {{dni-text|.|ben||yahr|-tee||sen}}
: "<u>for</u> 3 days";

: {{dni-text|.|chev||ah||shem||ben||re-|kor}}
: "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"

: {{dni-text|.|ne|re-|dovah}}
: "<u>around</u> the world"

: {{dni-text|.|me|D'nee||b-|re-|tahleeo}}
: "<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>"[http://web.archive.org/web/20050506165848/http://linguists.bahro.com/domahreh/grammar/chapter2/objective.html 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.</ref>:

{| class="wikitable" style="width: 80%;"
! style="width: 50%;" | Use '''ah'''
! style="width: 50%;" | Do not use '''ah'''
|-
| style="vertical-align:top;" | in independent and dependent clauses, regardless of the verb form;<br />
when the relationship between the verb and its object involves a physical encounter;<br />
when a usually intransitive verb takes a direct object;<br />
when a pronominal direct object is present to receive the address.
| style="vertical-align:top;" | when the nature of the relationship between the verb and its object is more abstract;<br />
when ''ril'' negates the semantic value of the verb;<br />
when the direct object is pronominal (i.e. either an objective pronoun or a noun with a possessive suffix) and not present to receive the address.
|}


Examples:
: {{dni-text|.|tahg|-em|-ah||b'-|zoo||ah||re-|kor}}
: "give me the book!" [physical encounter]

: {{dni-text|.|ril||glahs|-em|-ah||re-|ahno}}
: "don't drink the water"  [negation]


== Quantifiers ==

D'ni express these in a peculiar way, by using a numerical scale ("to 2", "to 20")<ref>"[http://web.archive.org/web/20050506165820/http://linguists.bahro.com/domahreh/grammar/chapter2/modifiers.html 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.</ref>. The attested quantifiers are:

{| class="wikitable"
| '''b'bree'''
| '''b'rish'''
| '''b'rigahsen'''
| '''b'fahsee'''
|-
| a little
| very, so
| highly
| maximally
|}

Examples:
: {{dni-text|.|tahgahm|-em||tsahn||bo-|taygahn||shem||b'-|fahsee}}
: "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"


== W-words ==
{| class="wikitable"
| '''kam'''
| '''kamrov'''
| '''kamto'''
| [ '''kamgor''' ]
| '''dho'''
| '''kamdol'''
|-
| what
| who
| where
| [when]
| how
| why
|}


Examples:
: {{dni-text|.|dho||ken|-em}}?
: "how are you?"

: {{dni-text|.|votahr||ah}}'{{dni-text|shem||khe|kamrov||ken|-em}}
: "I praise you for who you are"


== Time ==
{{Main|D'ni time}}
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:

{| class="wikitable"
| '''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 ===
{| class="wikitable"
| 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 ===
{| class="wikitable"
| New Year
| '''Leefo 1'''
| April 20/21
|-
| The 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
|-
| Lost Book of Birenni Found
| '''Leevobro 12'''
| December 10/11
|-
| First Feast of the Maker
| '''Leenovoo 10'''
| March 26/27
|-
| Day of the Circle
| '''Leenovoo 18'''
| April 6/7
|}

== Guild nomenclature ==
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 '''telokh–''' and '''–tee''' from the Full Name.

Examples: '''telselahm''' → '''seltahn'''.

A Guild Master is the Short Name + '''nahvah'''. Example: '''telselnahvah'''.

A Grand Master is the Short Name + '''nahvah pahrah'''. Example: '''telselnahvah pahrah'''.

==Resources==
* [http://www.eldalamberon.com/dni_dict.htm A Dictionary of the Language of D'ni], by Kh'reestrefah
* [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
* Talashar's [https://talashargeltahn.wordpress.com/grammar/ D'ni Grammar]
* The first [http://linguists.riedl.org/old/ Guild of Linguists]
* The [https://www.facebook.com/GoLinguists/ Guild of Linguists] Facebook page

==References==
{{reflist}}

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