Dragon Language

Dragon Language
Provided by the Skyrim Game Guide and in game dialogue translations by Alduin, Paarthurnax, Odahviing, and Durnehviir.

Some can also be found in the book Dragon Language: Myth no More.

Pronunciation
Some people may find the pronunciation of the Dragon Alphabet digraphs "aa", "ah", "ei", "ey", "ii", "ir", "uu", "ur", and "oo" to be confusing.

"aa" is pronounced as /æ/, like in "th a t", "p a t", "rel a x". "ah" as /ɔ/, like in "t a ll", "enthr a ll" and "p a use".

"oo" is used in a similar way like English, /uː/, like in "f oo d", "t oo " and "kangar oo ". "uu" is prounounced in the same way.

"ii" is prounounced /ɪ/, like in "p i nk", "l i nk" and "w i ki".

"ir" and "ur" are prounounced /ɜː(r)/, like in "b ir d", "adm ir al", "mo ur n" and "go ur d". Both the vowel ("i" or "u") and "r" represent one letter in the dragon alphabet.

"ei" and "ey" are both pronounced /iː/, as in "c ei ling" ,"k ey " and "all ey ".

However, assuming that the initial syllables heard in the musical pieces for the game are the standard form, then the language takes on a more Scandinavian sound:

"aa" and "ah" are both a long, open "a" /aː/, the latter, however, being formed more gutturally (sometimes becoming /ɔː/).

"oo" is used in the instances where the normal "o" sound /o/ (English "p o rt") needs to become long (/oː/), as in the English "d oo r". Only "uu" takes on the sound of an English double-"o" (see the above examples). "ii" would tend to be longer (/ɪː/).

"ir" and "ur" equate to /ɪr/ and /ur/, respectively.

Finally, there is a difference between "ei" and "ey" in that "ei" is pronounced as in German, producing a vowel as in "h i gh". "Ey", on the other hand, sounds as in "w ay ".

These discrepancies in pronunciation most likely result from the fact that many of these phonemes are not native to (or not the standard in) the English language, as well as the fact that most Dovah only periodically speak in their native language, so that it wasn't deemed important by Bethesda to properly instruct the voice actors in the pronunciation of the language. This is particularly evident in the fact that most dragons, in the game, do not roll their "r"s; both the Main Theme and the Following (Sovngarde Theme Song), however, feature them exclusively.

Grammar
The language has basically the same grammar as English, with the exceptions that it doesn't have an equivalent to English's apostrophes, it tends to place prepositional phrases earlier in sentences than English does, and it doesn't have tense. To make a word plural, two letters are added to the end of the word, the first being the last letter in the singular form, and the second being an "e".

Words are constructed in such a way that, when combined, form new words. A known construction is "Junnesejer" which mean "the kings of the east." "Jun" being King and "Jer" being East. Thus, combining words will allow you to convey an idea or another word. For Example: Moon and Eclipse are not part of the vocabulary, but Sun (Krein) and Night (Vulon) are. The word is based on which of the words come first, because the first word is prominent. If you were to say VulonKrien then the prominent word is Night while the secondary is Sun, and you would have Moon. Vice versa with KrienVulon, the sun is prominent and night is secondary so you would have Eclipse. With Junnesejer, it means The kings of the east. But if you were to put it as Jerresejun it would say East King. "se" is a conjunction between words that are combined to fill in the particles but its just as easily understood without it.

(i.e KrienneseVulon=KrienVulon both mean Eclipse)

Trivia

 * The Dragon language's script is similar in appearance to cuneiform, the written language of ancient Mesopotamia.
 * A possible hidden reference to Looking Glass Studio's "Thief" series exists in the form of the draconic word for thief -- "tafiir."
 * When speaking to you, both Alduin and Paarthurnax will speak in both common and Dragon language, often repeating a word in common after it is said in Dragon in order for the player to understand.
 * Hostile dragons that the player may encounter in the wild will sometimes taunt you in Dragon language.
 * "Dovahsebrom" translates to "Dragon of the North"