Khazgrun
Spoken In: Eastern Dwôrven Republic (EDR) and its territories.
Evolved From: Durinkhâld (Ancient Dwôrven); reshaped through clan reunification and multi-species integration after the Sundering War.
Script: Hybrid glyph set drawing from Durinkhâld angular forms and convergent clan scripts; alphabet, left-to-right.
Type: Agglutinative, SVO.
Common Use: Daily speech, industry, diplomacy, trade, and labor organizing across the EDR.
Note: Khazgrun is the only language on Adamah with dedicated base vocabulary for capitalism, exploitation, and collective resistance.
Khazgrun is how the EDR talks. It descends from Durinkhâld, but the clan reunification after the Sundering War broke the old language open and let labor, politics, and multi-species contact pour in. What came out is a tongue built for workshop floors and union halls, dense with the vocabulary of collective action, and blunt about wealth and power in a way no other language on Adamah matches.
The numbers and noun cases carried forward from Durinkhâld mostly intact. The pronouns did not. During reunification the clans built a new pronoun set around the khaz- root: khaz (I), khadul (we), khadan (union). Belonging got encoded into the grammar.
"Khazgrun has a word for 'sellout', Zarîdûn. It's in the base vocabulary, not slang. Same tier as 'family' and 'honor.' That tells you everything about what the people who built this language had already been through."
— Archivist Pol Veth, Storvhall University of History
Grammar
Noun Case (khadan, "union")
| Case | Form | IPA |
|---|---|---|
| Nominative | khadan | /ˈxadan/ |
| Accusative | khadana | /ˈxadana/ |
| Genitive | khadanûr | /ˈxadanuːr/ |
| Dative | khadanir | /ˈxadanir/ |
Verb Paradigm (farûn, "to fight for, to seize")
| Form | Conjugation | IPA |
|---|---|---|
| Present | farûn | /ˈfaruːn/ |
| Imperative | fargh! | /farɣ/ |
| Past | faragh | /ˈfaraɣ/ |
| Future | farûl | /ˈfaruːl/ |
Pronouns
| Pronoun | Khazgrun | IPA |
|---|---|---|
| I | khaz | /xaz/ |
| You (sg) | khûr | /xuːr/ |
| He | durn | /durn/ |
| She | durna | /ˈdurna/ |
| It | zar | /zar/ |
| We | khadul | /ˈxadul/ |
| They | gûrn | /ɡuːrn/ |
Numbers (0–10)
| Number | Khazgrun | IPA |
|---|---|---|
| 0 | zor | /zor/ |
| 1 | ûn | /uːn/ |
| 2 | dran | /dran/ |
| 3 | thrûl | /θruːl/ |
| 4 | kîr | /kiːr/ |
| 5 | khîr | /xiːr/ |
| 6 | shokh | /ʃox/ |
| 7 | zakh | /zax/ |
| 8 | orn | /orn/ |
| 9 | ghûl | /ɣuːl/ |
| 10 | drûn | /druːn/ |
Vocabulary
| Word | Meaning | Symbol | IPA |
|---|---|---|---|
| Khadan | Union | ⍳⍚⍦⍚⍯ | /ˈxadan/ |
| Drokzûr | Machine | ⍦⍩⬩Ⱀ⬷Ⰹ⍩ | /ˈdrokzuːr/ |
| Fargûn | Worker | ⬽⍚⍩⍥Ⰹ⍯ | /ˈfarɡuːn/ |
| Ulfarîn | Solidarity | ⬪Ⰺ⬽⍚⍩⬨⍯ | /ˈulfariːn/ |
| Farzarîn | Revolution | ⬽⍚⍩⬷⍚⍩⬨⍯ | /ˈfarzariːn/ |
| Ulfakhadan | Collective | ⬪Ⰺ⬽⍚⍳⍚⍦⍚⍯ | /ˈulfaxadan/ |
| Kolgrûn | Equality | Ⱀ⬩Ⰺ⍥⍩Ⰹ⍯ | /ˈkolɡruːn/ |
| Azmarûn | Capitalism | ⍚⬷⍮⍚⍩Ⰹ⍯ | /ˈazmaruːn/ |
| Dûrakûn | Oppression | ⍦Ⰹ⍩⍚ⰐⰉ⍯ | /ˈduːrakuːn/ |
| Farzakûn | Exploitation | ⬽⍚⍩⬷⍚ⰐⰉ⍯ | /ˈfarzakuːn/ |
| Dorîn | City | ⍦⬩⍩⬨⍯ | /ˈdoriːn/ |
| Dûn | Night | ⍦Ⰹ⍯ | /duːn/ |
| Ghardûr | Labor | Ⱁ⍚⍩⍦Ⰹ⍩ | /ˈɣarduːr/ |
| Tarûn | Duty | ⬵⍚⍩Ⰹ⍯ | /ˈtaruːn/ |
| Khazmakh | Production | ⍳⍚⬷⍮⍚⍳ | /ˈxazmax/ |
| Rîgûn | Effort | ⍩⬨⍥Ⰹ⍯ | /ˈriːɡuːn/ |
| Bren | Strike (work stoppage) | ⍧⍩⬧⍯ | /bren/ |
| Vôdük | Ledger | ⬼Ⰳ⍦ⰉⰐ | /ˈvoːdyk/ |
| Chëzar | Scab (strikebreaker) | ⰖⰆ⬷⍚⍩ | /ˈtʃɛzar/ |
| Jöx | Foreign coin | ⰝⰈⰚ | /dʒœks/ |
| Qwär | Border checkpoint | ⰓⰙⰅ⍩ | /qwær/ |
| Yûnkar | Guild-banner | ⰘⰉ⍯Ⱀ⍚⍩ | /ˈjuːnkar/ |
Vernacular & Slang
| English | Khazgrun | IPA |
|---|---|---|
| Worthless | Skahr | /skahr/ |
| Quick | Zirf | /zirf/ |
| Angry person | Grûm | /ɡruːm/ |
| Inspiration | Khîr | /xiːr/ |
| Fight | Thrak | /θrak/ |
| Undecided | Zalâk | /ˈzalɑːk/ |
| Scram | Skaz | /skaz/ |
| Failure | Fûlg | /fuːlɡ/ |
| Annoying | Khip | /xip/ |
| Leader | Khazmâr | /ˈxazmɑːr/ |
| Oh F*ck | Dûlûr rûz! | /ˈduːluːr ruːz/ |
| Damnit | Nûlkhîr! | /ˈnuːlxiːr/ |
| Rich Person | Khazât | /ˈxazɑːt/ |
| CEO | Khazrûn | /ˈxazruːn/ |
| Corporate Drone | Zarnâk | /ˈzarnɑːk/ |
| Sellout | Zarîdûn | /ˈzariːduːn/ |
Common Phrases
| English | Khazgrun | IPA |
|---|---|---|
| Strength in community | Khûg na duron | /ˈxuːɡ na ˈduron/ |
| Honor the ancestors | Durkar na zarîn | /ˈdurkar na ˈzariːn/ |
| Family is our foundation | Nêkhlûr na morlû | /ˈneːxluːr na ˈmorluː/ |
| Unity is strength | Ulfar na khûg | /ˈulfar na ˈxuːɡ/ |
| Union fights for equality | Khadan na dorîn | /ˈxadan na ˈdoriːn/ |
| Revolution brings change | Farzarîn na dorîn zarîn | /ˈfarzariːn na ˈdoriːn ˈzariːn/ |
| Greed destroys community | Drogûn na ranorîn | /ˈdroɡuːn na ˈranoriːn/ |
| Wealth corrupts | Khazût na mûzarîn | /ˈxazuːt na ˈmuːzariːn/ |
| Debt enslaves the people | Dûrmât na ranorîn | /ˈduːrmɑːt na ˈranoriːn/ |
| Seize the day | Farûn na tar | /ˈfaruːn na tar/ |
| Honor your word | Durkar na ranor | /ˈdurkar na ˈranor/ |
| When in doubt, go left | Farûn dûrmât na shâr | /ˈfaruːn ˈduːrmɑːt na ʃɑːr/ |
| Labor is dignity | Ghardûr na durkar. | /ˈɣarduːr na ˈdurkar/ |
| The collective is strength | Ulfakhadan na khûg. | /ˈulfaxadan na ˈxuːɡ/ |
| Oppression fails | Dûrakûn na fûlg. | /ˈduːrakuːn na fuːlɡ/ |
| The worker builds the city | Fargûn na dorîn. | /ˈfarɡuːn na ˈdoriːn/ |
Writing System
| Symbol | Sound (IPA) | Symbol | Sound (IPA) | Symbol | Sound (IPA) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ⍚ | /a/ | ⬦ | /ɑː/ | Ⰵ | /æ/ |
| ⍧ | /b/ | Ⱆ | /tʃ/ | ⍦ | /d/ |
| ⬧ | /e/ | ⬦ | /eː/ | Ⰶ | /ɛ/ |
| ⬽ | /f/ | ⍥ | /ɡ/ | Ⱁ | /ɣ/ |
| Ⱇ | /h/ | ⬨ | /i/ | ⬨ | /iː/ |
| Ⱍ | /dʒ/ | Ⱀ | /k/ | ⍳ | /x/ |
| Ⰺ | /l/ | ⍮ | /m/ | ⍯ | /n/ |
| ⬩ | /o/ | Ⰳ | /oː/ | Ⰸ | /œ/ |
| ⬴ | /p/ | Ⱃ | /q/ | ⍩ | /r/ |
| Ⰾ | /s/ | Ⱅ | /ʃ/ | ⬵ | /t/ |
| ⬪ | /u/ | Ⰹ | /uː/ | Ⰹ | /y/ |
| ⬼ | /v/ | Ⱉ | /w/ | Ⱊ | /ks/ |
| Ⱈ | /j/ | ⬷ | /z/ | ⬵Ⱇ | /θ/ (Th digraph) |
Khazgrun merges Â/Ê, I/Î, and Û/Ü into shared glyphs. Context and the Romanization carry the distinction on the page; in writing, they look the same.
Morphology
Khazgrun is agglutinative with SVO order, diverging from its SOV ancestor Durinkhâld. Meaning is built by stacking one separable suffix per grammatical feature in a fixed order: ROOT - NUMBER - CASE - (POSSESSOR). Each piece keeps a constant shape. Khazgrun still has noun cases (agglutinative languages typically have many); the difference from fusional Durinkhâld is that case and number are separate, invariant suffixes rather than one fused ending. The genitive -ûr stays -ûr whether the noun is singular or plural. That separability is what makes Khazgrun agglutinative.
- Number: plural -en. Case: accusative -a, genitive -ûr, dative -ir.
- khadan (union) -> khadan-a (union-ACC) -> khadan-en (unions) -> khadan-en-ûr (of the unions)
- Verb far- (to fight / seize): far-ûn (present), far-agh (past), far-ûl (future), far-gh (imperative)
The collective khaz- root (khaz I, khadul we, khadan union) drives the system: belonging is encoded directly in the grammar, the legacy of the clan reunification that broke the old fused tongue open.
Phonology & Prosody (Multi-species contact tongue)
Consonants: /b tʃ d f ɡ ɣ h dʒ k x l m n p q r s ʃ t θ v w ks z/ (Th = /θ/, Thrak, thrûl). Keeps the dwôrven gutturals /x/ (Kh) and /ɣ/ (Gh) and the uvular /q/, and adds the sibilants, affricates, and labials Durinkhâld lacked (J, CH, V, W, X), the legacy of multi-species contact.
Vowels: /a e i o u/, the long set  /ɑː/, Ê /eː/, Î /iː/, Ô /oː/, Û /uː/ (inherited from Durinkhâld), and the contact vowels Ä /æ/, Ë /ɛ/, Ö /œ/, Ü /y/.
A deliberately large alphabet for a lingua franca: the EDR's working tongue keeps letters most native roots never use (J, Q, X, W, V, the umlauts) so it can transcribe loanwords and other species' names. They surface in the contact lexicon, Vôdük (ledger), Chëzar (scab), Jöx (foreign coin), Qwär (checkpoint), Bren (strike), Yûnkar (guild-banner).
Stress is root-initial: suffixes stack as ROOT-NUMBER-CASE without moving the stress, keeping the root prominent, the hallmark of the agglutinative rebuild.
Merged glyphs: Â/Ê, I/Î, and Û/Ü each share one written form; romanization carries the distinction.