Treatise on the Durese Language, II Edition
By Prof. Vaasai Zhoks and Dr. Cad Trokseg
Foreword by Admiral Moog Jeiks
Foreword
Being one of the first species to achieve spaceflight, the Durese language has become a common language along with Basic as the Duros journeyed farther into the universe. In the shipping and business sectors, knowledge of it is a most valuable asset. This treatise is meant as a guide, so to speak, for those interested in learning more about this ancient tongue, however it should be noted that this is merely a simplification. If one seeks a more complex and immersive dive into Durese, the holobooks Advanced Durese, LXXX Edition or Durese for Bantha-Brains are highly recommended alongside this treatise which explains in simplicity pronunciation, vocabulary, and grammatical structures. The writers, editors, and transcribers wish you great luck with this edition and hope that visions of starlines will fill your eyes.
Duraam taziks ceim kooll.
-Moog Jeiks sooktu zhogaa
Phonetics
-Consonants-
Labial |
Alveolar |
Postalveolar |
Palatal |
Velar |
Uvular |
Glottal |
|
Stops |
b, p |
t, d |
k, g |
||||
Fricatives |
ɸ,v |
s, z |
ʒ |
ʝ |
x |
h |
|
Nasal Stops |
m |
n |
|
||||
Trill |
ʀ |
||||||
Approximant |
ʋ |
l |
|||||
Lateral Affricates |
ts |
||||||
Sibilant Affricates |
tɬ |
-Vowels-
Front |
Back |
|
High |
u |
|
Near-Close |
ɪ |
|
Close-mid |
e, ø |
o |
Open-Mid |
ɛ |
ʌ |
Near-Open |
æ |
|
Low |
a |
Diphthongs: [aj]
-Phonotactics-
Coda: [k], [g], [n], [m], [s], [z], [t], [d], [a], [ʌ], [l], [æ], [u], [o], [ɛ], [e], [ø]
Pronunciation
Predominantly, many of the consonants in Durese are equivalent to their Basic counterparts, however there are some notable exceptions listed below as well as a transcription of vowel pronunciations.
-Vowels-
a [æ] - "a" as in English apple
aa [a] - "a" as in English father
ai [e] - “ai” as in English rain
e [ɛ] - "e" as in English end
ei [aj] - "ei" as in English time or German mein
i [ɪ] - "i" as in English tin
o [o] - "o" as in English soda
oo [ø] - "ö" as in German Löwe
u [ʌ] - "u" as in English under
uu [u] - "u" as in English lute
-Consonants-
c [ts] - “ts” as in English pets
ch [x] - "ch" as in German danach
f [ɸ] - wh as in Māori whakapapa
j [ʝ] - "g" as in Greek γεια
ll [tɬ] - “ll” as in Icelandic fjall (pronounced like tluh)
zh [ʒ] - "j" as in French jour
r [ʀ] - "r" as in French rendez-vous
Verb Conjugation
-Class I Weak Verbs-
Stem |
dur “to journey” |
geillo “to cook” |
Past |
duroos |
geilloos |
Present |
durog |
geillog |
Future |
dureis |
geilleis |
Imperative |
duraam |
geillaam |
Gerund |
durud |
geillud |
-Class II Strong Verbs-
Stem |
deltna “to speak” |
Past |
deltnas |
Present |
deltnag |
Future |
deltnais |
Imperative |
deltnaam |
Gerund |
deltnad |
-Class III Strong Verbs-
Stem |
juksu “to lie” |
Past |
juksus |
Present |
juksug |
Future |
juksis |
Imperative |
juksum |
Gerund |
juksud |
-Present Tense-
kadog - “to be” from the stem kad and Present Tense ending og from the Preposition og “in.” Verb stems that end in vowels such as deltna and jukvu take the "g" ending but use their own vowel if it is not "o." In the Past and Future tense which have two vowels in the coda, the first is replaced by the stem vowel but the rest of the tense ending is perserved.
-Past Tense-
sodoos - “called” from the stem sod and the Past Tense ending oos from the Preposition oos “from.”
-Future-
dureis - “will journey” from the stem dur and the Future tense ending eis.
-Imperative-
deltnaam - “speak” from the stem deltna and the Imperitive ending aam.
-Gerund-
stallud - "recommendation" from the stem stall and Gerund ending ud.
Pronouns
In Durese, pronouns have four possible forms, three which indicate their role in a sentence, and another for possession. To be succinct, the Nominative is the subject, the Accusative is the direct object, and the Dative is the indirect object.
1st Person Singular |
1st Person Plural |
2nd Person Singular |
2nd Person Plural |
3rd Person Singular |
3rd Person Plural |
|
Nominative |
vun |
cem |
lum |
jull |
vek |
zhun |
Accusative |
vain |
ceim |
laim |
jaill |
veik |
zhain |
Dative |
voon |
caam |
loom |
jooll |
vaak |
zhoon |
Genitive |
vin |
cim |
lim |
jill |
vik |
zhin |
Nouns
Singular |
Plural |
Dual |
Paucal |
|
Nominative |
-O |
-a |
-elt |
-ache |
Accusative |
-ail |
-o |
-eilt |
-oche |
Dative |
-ool |
-ai |
-aalt |
-aiche |
Genitive |
-il |
-uu |
-ilt |
-uuche |
Example: Leivaks
Singular |
Plural |
Dual |
Paucal |
|
Nominative |
Leivaks |
Leivaksa |
Leivakselt |
Leivaksache |
Accusative |
Leivaksail |
Leivakso |
Leivakseilt |
Leivaksoche |
Dative |
Leivaksool |
Leivksai |
Leivaksaalt |
Leivaksaiche |
Genitive |
Leivaksil |
Leivaksuu |
Leivaksilt |
Leivaksuuche |
Conjugation of 'jos' (indefinite article)
Nominative |
jos |
Accusative |
jais |
Dative |
juus |
Genitive |
jas |
Misc.
-hul - noun to verb
-ceg - diminutive
-u - one who does
Adpositions
Unlike Galactic Basic, Durese has postpositions, meaning that the adposition follows the noun that they complement rather than in front of the noun. Additionally, nouns take the dative case endings if the postposition implies a static noun and takes the accusative case conjugations if the postposition implies a movement of the noun.
Syntax
A few rules: Durese is an SVO (Subject, Verb, Object) language, when there are two verbs in a sentence the second verb appears at the end of the clause, and describers of any sort such as adjectives, adverbs, or prepositions follow the noun or verb that they describe. The sample sentences provided below should give direction on how these rules are to be utilized.
NP -> NP AdjP
PP -> NP P
VP -> NP V AdvP NP V
Sample Sentences
These examples as follows. The top row is the sentence in the original Durese. Following that is a literal translation with bottom row being a more polished and exact Basic sentence.
Jozhaam, vun Jal Mes kadog molguu jes Tolli Sierras zaatol vin kadog.
[ʝoʒam vʌn ʝæl mɛs kædog molgu ʝɛs toli sieras zatol vɪn kædog]
Greetings, I Jal Mes to be and demonstrative Tolli Sierras friend-gen my is
Greetings, I am Jal Mes and this is my friend Tolli Sierras.
Zhona jes kadog Leivaksail sodoos.
[ʒona ʝɛs kædog lajvæksel sodøs]
Drink demonstrative to be Leivaks-acc called
This drink is called Leivaks.
Vadnu jos aneik
[vædnʌ ʝos ænajk]
bantha a like
Like a bantha!
Kadaam truuno naazheiks juus stallud oos.
[kædam tʀuno naʒajks ʝus stætɬʌd øs]
To be here letter article recommendation of
Here is a letter of recommendation.
Vun dureis taziks koollazil laim.
[vʌn dʌʀajs tæzɪks køtɬæzɪl lajm]
I travel [future tense] with luck-gen your
I will travel with your luck.
Deltnaam duro stezhu
[dɛltnam dʌʀo stɛʒʌ]
Speak duro-wanderer
Speak Duro (Formal Version)
Cim geillteinil baizais Hachoks aneik!
[tsɪm gajtɬtajnɪl bezes hæxoks anajk]
Our kitchen will smell like Hachoks!
Lexicon
It should be noted that all verbs are presented in the present tense.
aajon - (prep) through
aneik - (p) like
baizag - (v) to smell, to reek
beik - (v) to sell
beiku - (n) merchant
beiku zhogaa - (n) manager
bellag - (v) to brew
bellu - (n) brewer
beks - (n) space, void, spiritual plane
boozham - (n) engine
boozham zhusu - (n) engineer
cem - (pro) we
challai - (n) energy
challaiceg - (n) laser
chillug - (v) to detect
ceidaam - (ph) thank you
ceidog - (v) to thank
deltnag - (v) to speak
deigoks - (n) fine powder used in brewing Leivaks
dunu - (v) to sit
dunwen - (n) chair
durog - (v) to travel
fimei - (n) metal
geillog - (v) to cook
geillu (n) - chef
jab - (v) to annoy, to irritate
jabom - (n) mynock
jabud - (n) nuisance
jachas - (n) net
jecool - (n) popular, in demand
jes - (dem) this, that
jeime - (n) sword
jeime challai - (n) lightsaber
juksug - (v) to lie, to fib
jomni - (n) refresher
jos - (art) a
jozhag - (v) to greet
Hachoks (n) - steak cooked using Suunbaz worm meat and seasoned with zhoguum seeds
hechu - (n) strut, beam, pillar, limb
kadog - (v) to be
koollaz - (p) with
lahaaks - (n) life
leinsa - (v) to repair
leinsai - (n) mechanic
Leivaks - (n) popular Durese drink
lum - (pro) you
maamad - (n) leaf
meilu - (n) starship
meilom - (n) purgil
meizol - (n) insect monster
molguu - (conj) and
naazheiks - (n) letter, document
neidi - (n) brick, stone
neidiceg - (n) rubble
neicha - (v) to bring, to deliver
neichad - (n) cargo
oos - (p) of
seimllu - (n) star-lover
sooktu - (n) leader
sooktu trugu - (n) senator
sooktu zhogaa - (n) Admiral
stadaks - (n) member, piece
stai - (p) after
stezhu - (n) wanderer
stezhuhul - (n) to migrate, to make a pilgrimage
stom (v) - to worship
stompeks - (n) temple
stuk - (det) what
sodog - (v) to call, to name, to nominate, to select, to choose
suudwe - (n) root, beginning, prelude
suudweceg - (n) seed
suudwehul - (v) to prelude, to begin
sugwe - (n) cup
taziks - (n) luck
tein - (n) room
trood - (n) light
trugug - (v) to deliberate, to decide
trugud - (v) discussion, council, debate
truuno - (adv) here
raan - (n) thing
raabnell - (n) pot, kettle
vaas - (adj) low
vabna - (v) to bend, to distort, to alter
vabnai fimei - (n) welder
vadnu - (n) bantha
ven - (n) surface, plane
vumis - (p) for
vun - (pro) I
zaato - (n) friend
zeis - (n) moon
zeisail stai - (adv) soon (lit: "after moon," moon.acc after)
zema - (adv) never, (n) no, (det) not
zhaallum - (n) world, planet
zhogaa - (adj) high
zhoguum - (n) plant native to Duro
zhona - (n) drink
zhus - (v) to calculate
zhusud stezhud - (n) nav computer
zhuuvez (n) - air, atmosphere, sky
zud - (v) to teach
zudu zhogaa - (n) teacher
New Jedi Order
Absolutely love this. I don't have much of a head for languages myself, but this is such an amazing work, and I love how it expands the boundaries of what Factions is and involves. Fantastic.
Leader of the New Jedi Order | SWFactions GM
"Durese for Bantha-Brains" is hilarious!