Dragon Language

Dovahzul ( Dovah-Zul, "Dragon-Voice"), the Dragon Language or Dragonish, is the language used in by dragons in shouts, on word walls, in names, etc. Provided by the Skyrim Game Guide and in game dialogue translations by Alduin, Paarthurnax, Odahviing, and Durnehviir.

Some may also be found in the books, Dragon Language: Myth no More and Songs of Skyrim. Additionally, each Dragon Priest's name is a word in the Dragon language.

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

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 "port") needs to become long (/oː/), as in the English "door". 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 /ir/ and /ur/, respectively.

Finally, there is a difference between "ei" and "ey": "ei" is pronounced as in German, producing a vowel as in price. "Ey," on the other hand, sounds as in face.

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 dovahhe 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; however, both the Main Theme and the Following (Sovngarde Theme Song), 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 in English, and doesn't have tense. To pluralize a word, the final letter is repeated and "e" is added (i.e. "grohiik": wolf; "grohiikke": wolves)

Words are constructed in such a way that, when combined, they form new words. A known construction is "Junnesejer", which means "the kings of the east". "Jun" being king and "Jer" being east. Thus, combining words will allow one to convey an idea or another word. For Example: "moon and eclipse" are not present in the vocabulary, but sun ("krein") and night ("vulon") are. The word is based on which of the words is the first because the first word is prominent. If one were to say "vulonkrein", the prominent word would be "night" while the secondary is "sun", and  there would be "moon" (i.e. a light in the night). Vice versa with "kreinvulon", as "sun" is prominent and "night" is secondary, so there would be "eclipse" (darkness where the sun is). With Junnesejer, it means "the kings of the east", but if one were to put it as Jersejun, it would be "East King". "Se" is a conjunction between words that are combined to fill in the particles, but it's just as easily-understood without it.

Trivia

 * The Dragon language's script is similar in appearance to cuneiform, the written language of ancient Mesopotamia.
 * The script of the Dragon language also bears resemblance to the script on the obelisk in Star Trek's 3rd season episode entitled "Paradise Syndrome."
 * 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 the player, both Alduin and Paarthurnax will speak in both common and Dragon language, often repeating a word in common after it is said in Dragon so that the player would understand. Dragons tamed with the Bend Will shout will also do this.
 * Hostile dragons that the player may encounter in the wild will sometimes taunt the player in the Dragon language.
 * "Dovahsebrom" translates to "Dragon of the North".
 * Miraak uses a special four-word phrase to consume the souls of dragons ("zii los dii du" - literally "spirit is mine [to] devour"). This is strange, as most phrases or shouts in Dragon language consist of only three words.
 * Paarthurnax appears to use the three word phrase "Drem Yol Lok" as a greeting. This translates to "peace/patience fire sky".
 * In, the language appears and can be used by the Hero as a skill

Appearances


Drachensprache Lingua dei Draghi Dragon Language Langage Draconique Lengua de los dragones Драконий язык