/r/Dovahzul

Photograph via snooOG

Discussion of the Dovah. Post anything language related.

Welcome to /r/Dovahzul!

This subreddit is dedicated to learning the language of dragons from The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim. Here you can discuss different points of the language, such as sentence structure and grammar points.

What is Dovahzul?

Dovahzul is a spoken and written language from the game The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim. The language is incomplete in the game, so fans have created more characters and words to make this language.

RULES

  • Standard reddiquette applies here

  • No spamming

  • Downvote not to disagree, only if it doesn't add to the discussion

  • Use constructive criticism only. Any negative comments will be removed

Useful links:

Dragon Alphabet

Memrise Dovahzul Course

Other translator

Quizlet Course

Site for beginners

/r/Dovahzul

1,102 Subscribers

3

Looking for a Speaker

I'm currently writing my dissertation on conlangs and I need recordings of someone who's confident at speaking Dovahzul as part of it. Would anyone with a decent recording setup be willing to lend me their voice? I can dm details.

1 Comment
2024/10/06
12:40 UTC

4

Question

What happened to thu'um.org, and why is it practically inactive now?

5 Comments
2024/09/26
17:39 UTC

6

A bit of an odd request

So I am trying to translate something my first theatre director and professor would always say to the cast before a show, and that was "Tell the fucking story." There are translations for everything but the word fucking, obviously. So I'm looking for help with the best way to translate the work fucking or at least something with a similar gusto.

3 Comments
2024/09/17
18:37 UTC

9

Is there a word in Dovahzul for moon?

I’m having trouble finding a word or something similar to moon or stars for a phrase. Is there one?

3 Comments
2024/09/05
20:32 UTC

2

Vampire?

How would one say, or describe, the concept of vampirism? Like, how would one express "They are a vampire"?

2 Comments
2024/09/04
06:23 UTC

13

Thuum.org is back online

title

1 Comment
2024/07/22
19:18 UTC

9

Translation help

With the website being down and my knowledge being fairly basic I am looking for some assistance in translating a poem and getting an understanding of the pronunciation. My friends an I go to a multilingual poetry reading once a month and I thought it would be cool to do it in Dovahzul

0 Comments
2024/07/10
19:35 UTC

5

Translation help please?

I'm trying to translate something, and I'm using the thuum.org dictionary. I need the word "commitment", but all I found is "commit" which is "drah". I tried looking through the lessons on their website on how to bend "drah", but I might be a bit to smoothbrained cuz I'm so lost.

4 Comments
2024/07/01
10:26 UTC

10

Need Help Creating a Massive Database of Dovahzul Phrases

Hello everyone,

I'm practicing creating natural language models in different languages, and would like to have one that can speak the dragon tongue. Especially because I don't want it to just die out -- finding pen pals is already tough as it is, as well as remaining in touch, so maybe creating a virtual language speaker could help those who want to learn and practice.

The problem is, all these models require massive amounts of sentences to learn how to "speak" a given language. I'm talking thousands of sentences, all cut up into words and syllables and used to make a computer talk like a native.

Thus, I need sources. Sentences for the machine to learn. UESP is good enough for a couple dozen (like word walls), but the more, the merrier.

Does anybody have links to some big repositories of phrases in Dovahzul? Or some letters/poems/songs/whatnotelse that they'd like to share? Translations are very much welcome, as well as pretty much all levels of canonicity (just please mention if you're using non-canon words). Even more day-to-day phrases like "I am the lord" or "How are you?" will help.

Thanks!

0 Comments
2024/05/29
17:21 UTC

3 Comments
2024/05/10
11:47 UTC

2

Dreh hi mindok fin win name do Secundus?

Joke.

0 Comments
2024/04/11
04:44 UTC

21

duolingo style app for Dovahzul?

Over easter I've been tinkering with duolingo style app for Dovahzul. It's in a very rough state and not yet online but it can generate and play random sentences using audio snippets I've extracted from the creation kit.

I don't think it would be an unreasonable effort to clean this up but the problem are the audio files:

  • I doubt I could use material from the game, not productively for sure and possibly not even as templates to host a community driven program to supplant them. I could probably write a small program that extracts specific lines from the game files though.
  • The vocabulary coverage is woefully incomplete. A mere fraction of the already sparse dictionary is ever spoken in the game. Leaving only thuum.org as source for pronunciation.
  • The audio files I do have aren't very consistent and the thuum.org pronunciation often differs from that again. So ideally there should be one pass over the existing audio files to reconcile the different pronunciations.

So: How much interest/support would there even be for such a project?

Update: Since this has gathered a good deal of attention, I'd like to give a short update. /u/nerdragon13 and I are working on it with him as the language expert and me on the technical side. We've agreed that we don't want to simply copy thuum.org and call it a day but take our own look at the original sources that are available and see to what conclusions we're coming. We feel there are a good amount of inconsistencies in the spoken language that might benefit from some rework. At the same time we're also sensitive to the fact that many people have already learned and extended dovahzul on the basis of thuum.org 's work and throwing all that out would be a significant inconvenience to existing learners.

As for the technical side. This is my first significant web project with a modern framework, so doing everything by the book has been a bit slower than I anticipated. Particularly implementing a proper user management has been some effort up-front but means I won't have to rework the entire site before presenting it to "the public". I estimate another week to get the core contributor pages finished. Then the core effort will switch over to the language side.

12 Comments
2024/04/02
14:59 UTC

5

How to express possession like "I have a child/dog/house"?

The only way I've seen so far is saying "this is my X".

"Lost" only seems to be used as "have" for tenses like "I have failed".

And "Piraak" explicitly says that it's unknown whether it is used for physical possession.

So... how?

0 Comments
2024/03/26
13:37 UTC

3

Wind Guide You

There is a way to translate those words into Dovahzul? I tried searching everywhere but there doesn't seem to be an answer.

2 Comments
2024/03/24
19:55 UTC

5

Invictus in Dovahzul

Hello all! I am working on a translation of the poem Invictus to Dovahzul and was hoping for your assistance. I'm going to post the original poem in English, Then the substitutions I've used for words and concepts I couldn't find, then my best attempt at Dovahzul. I would heartily appreciate your assistance in better word usage and grammar as I am a novice.

Original:

Out of the night that covers me, Black as the pit from pole to pole,
I thank whatever gods may be For my unconquerable soul.

In the fell clutch of circumstance I have not winced nor cried aloud.
Under the bludgeonings of chance My head is bloody, but unbowed.

Beyond this place of wrath and tears Looms but the Horror of the shade,
And yet the menace of the years Finds and shall find me unafraid.

It matters not how strait the gate, How charged with punishments the scroll,
I am the master of my fate, I am the captain of my soul.

Word Substitutions for Dovahzul:

From the night that buries me, Black as the grave from end to end,

I thank you any gods may be For my unyielding soul.

In the fell grasp of chaos I have not cowered or cried

Before the attacks of chaos My head is bleeding, but unbridled.

After this place of wrath and tears Stands but the Horror of the spirit,

And yet the danger of the years Finds and shall find me fearless.

It is not worthy how mighty the door, How charged with punishments the scroll,

I am the master of my fate, I am the commander of my soul.

Dovahzul

Voth vulon tol deyto zu'u Ved ol faal qoth nol laat wa laat.

Zu'u kogaan naan rahhe ziistmaas kos Fah dii sindugahvon sil.

Ko faal spaan haalvut do tahrohvin Zu'u sizaan ni nikriin uv zaan

Us faal nos do tahrovin Dii klov los sosaal, nuz uznahgaar.

Mindin daar staad do bah ahrk luvve Kriist nuz faal vol se su'um

Ahrk yet faal tahrohgin se ervosse Siiv ahrk fent siiv zu'u faasnu.

Nii los ni Bahlaan sahrot faal miiraad.  Fonaar voth sosaal faal kel.

Zu'u los faal in do dii dez. Zu'u los faal konahrik do dii sil.

0 Comments
2024/03/22
20:10 UTC

3

Is it me or are the ingame translations rather sloppy?

I'm looking at:

Nafni wahlaan qethsegol bormahii vahrukt, Ragnvald, wen Zii fen mahfaeraak aak ok brod, ahrk folook ok hokoron.

with the supplied translation of:

Nafni raised this stone for his father, Ragnvald, whose Spirit will forever guide his clan, and haunt his enemies.

Now a direct word to word translation would look like this:

Nafni raise stone his father memory, Ragnvald, whose spirit will forever guide his clan, and haunt his enemy

To my admittedly limited understanding it should be more like this?

Nafni drey wahlaan Tol quethsegol Ko vahrukt do bormahii, Ragnvald, wen Zii fen mahfaeraak aak ok brod, ahrk folook ok hokoronne

0 Comments
2024/03/22
14:17 UTC

4

Memrise?

I’m looking to start learning dovahzuul again on Memrise and I can’t find any courses, anyone got a link?

1 Comment
2024/03/18
16:10 UTC

3

Pruzah Sul-Sulkren uv Mindin alok

I'm am a silly loser who doesn't know the language fully but instead uses the search.

7 Comments
2024/03/14
00:01 UTC

3

Dovahzul Anki Decks?

Does someone have an anki deck (alphabet and/or dictionary)? All links in the previous posts seems to be dead. In this forum thread "Thu’um – Dragon Language of Skyrim" deck is mentioned, but there is no such deck on anki website

0 Comments
2024/03/11
10:13 UTC

6

I made a translation to the firstverse of "Valhalla calling"

Veysun Nau Nah Do Fin Okaaz Los Bo Kiin Naar Wah Fin Graag Pindaar Enook Golt Los Aan Pruzaan Kiin Alok Ahrk Rel Gut Nol Fin Vaal Ahrk Iiz Krah Ven Ruvaak Bo Ko Daar Feykro Lovaas Ahrk Tey Do Dez Kogaan Spaan Ahrk Tuz Vaat Zul Uv Fin Fonaar Do Grah Fen Kos Dreh Fah Fin Brod Ahrk Fron Kod Tu Ahrk Fin Nos Do Strun Gro Ko Zu'u

Fin Haalvut Do Unslaad Laas

Sovergard Saraan

Fin Tiid Do Dun Fah Dii Dez

Sovergard Saraan Sovergard Saraan

1 Comment
2024/02/21
03:21 UTC

12

Came here to say thuum.org turned 11 on January 14th. Happy 11th Anniversary!

I've always been interested in the fact that there were people who put their heads together to make the language of the dragons, Dovazhuul. Can't believe there's a website that allows you to learn it online for free! That website turned 11 recently.

Wind Guide You.

0 Comments
2024/02/15
20:15 UTC

3

About Dova language

Im on iOS but it seems like I can’t find any translator of the runes.

4 Comments
2024/02/11
08:01 UTC

7

How can I write these phrases below in Thu'um/ Dovahzul?

I want to get a tattoo with the phrases "may I stand unshaken" or "be loyal to what matters" (Red Dead Redemption 2) but in Thu'um and when I went to the website thuum.org it didn't translate the entire phrase. Could you help me by showing me what these phrases would look like in Thu'um/ Dovahzul? Thanks in advance.

7 Comments
2023/11/11
14:42 UTC

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