Word order:
Word order will be Object-Subject-Verb (OSV) most of the time. Dwilekan relies quite a bit on word order, but there are exceptions to every rule.
A simple sentence (informal) looks like this: Hu quoren ko'oka. He is a butt, or literally, "a butt he is."
Lecture me about Yoda-speak later. It was an accident, I swear, and by the time I realized, I had brought the language too far along to change it.
The article precedes the subject. If you want to transition into slang (and let's be fair; when calling somebody a butt, one only ever really says it colloquially), you can omit said article, leaving only "Quoren ko'oka."
Forms:
There are three forms of spoken and written language: informal, formal, and poetic.
The formal form (literally "diplomacy language," or na'hona'tylakhenod vímít) was designed to be spoken by leaders and heads of state to make lying more difficult. The words often have more syllables, and contractions are not permitted. If you have to concentrate on every word emerging from your mouth, it is difficult to add a lie to that complexity. At least, that was the thinking.
The very word "diplomacy" illustrates the effect of this form the best:
Formal: na'hona'tylakhenod (to stop genocide)
Poetic: na'hona'rien (to stop war)
Informal: do'rien (the absence of war).
The poetic form (literally "poetry language," or líara vímít) is used exclusively in--you guessed it--poetry, though it is sometimes used if one is addressing a lover, teacher, or a great master of the written or spoken word. Literature can be written in any of the forms, but poetry is usually written in this form.
The future tense is a suffix that is only slightly impacted by the three forms:
Formal: -túvu
Poetic: -túru
Informal: -túvù (the final "u" cuts off in this form, creating what sounds more like an extended "v" with the slightest "u" still attached. It is difficult to transliterate.)
The informal form (literally "speaking language," or jae-ín vímít) is the casual, conversational form. One would use this form when speaking with people equal in age/position/status to oneself, or with people met in a casual setting, such as in the dining hall at school, at the market, or on the road.
A word of warning: some words will be the same in two or more forms. For example:
Formal: elovár (tree)
Poetic: elovár (tree)
Informal: k'sovár (tree)
When this occurs, use context, situation, and contractions/lack thereof to identify the form in use.
Verb Tense:
Present-tense is simple: leave the verbs exactly as they are, meaning exactly as I give them to you. I will give examples in this post with the following verbs:
To be: okà
To do: àrd
To make: rhyjiàn
Past-tense is a little harder. The suffix will vary depending on the final letter of the verb (vowel or consonant), the form being used, and whether or not the subject/object is/are plural.
To be (past): okáth
To do: árdéln
To make: rhyjiàn'é
The past-tense suffixes are as follows:
a/e/ae/o/: -th
b/p/g/d/k: -éln
m/n/l: -'é
I know I need more. I'll post them when I have them.
Philosophy and Understanding:
Here, have a random word as we transition to the more philosophical piece of this language.
Rísa: ocean
If you've been paying attention, you'll catch the two parts. Rí = water, and sa = me/I/self. Thus, this word, ocean, literally translates to water-self. Which, admittedly, is a little strange. But it has another, deeper meaning. It means the whole of the water (water-whole). This directly implies that the self is unbroken, that the self is whole. Isn't that a little bit beautiful?
Dwilekan is riddled with these dual literal translations. Why? Because I put them there. They add complexity, culture, and character, and they make it easier to use the same root in dozens of different ways.
Take, for instance, the root -àrà. Literally, and on its own, it means "knowledge," but it also means "why."
Glíríàrà: physics
- glírí-: universe
- -àrà: knowledge/why
Now you're in a bit of dilemma, do-eo'oka (are you not)? Is it universe-why, or is it universe-knowledge? You tell me. It's open to interpretation and argument. The best poems have many different meanings, and I am developing this language almost exclusively through poetry.
Àrà: knowledge
Àrà: why
Glíríàrà: physics
Zae-àrà: biology (life-why/knowledge)
Sietàrà: the search for knowledge (also the name of Dwileka's most prominent university)
Àràsíleth: imagination (thought-starlit)
Àrànmí: wonderful
Just a handful of the ways -àrà can be used in Dwilekan.
