I've been working on a book dedicated to kobolds, and have built a fair amount of their language out, with words based somewhat on the Draconic that's been featured in various Dragon magazines and such.
Encountering-Kobolds-Language.pdf (783.13 KB)
Here's a bunch more that I haven't incorporated into the book yet. Clearly I'm a language nerd.
Koboldic uses an Object-Verb-Subject Word Order. For example, instead of saying “The Dragon cooks the Food,” it must be said as “The Food is cooked by the Dragon.” Thus, in Koboldic, the Sentence is:
Tchithin kaisan Drukga.
The-Food is-cooked-by The-Dragon.
Koboldic also changes the Pronunciation of a Word depending on whether it is an Object or Subject:
Drikig kairas Zhuksa.
The-Dragon is-talked-to-by The-Elf.
‘The Dragon’ as a Subject is ‘Drukga,’ but as an Object is ‘Drikig.’ When learning a Word in Koboldic, it is important to Learn the 3-Part Root. In the case of the Word ‘Dragon,’ that Root is DR-K-G. Some others:
- Food: TCH-TH-N
- Elf: ZH-K-S
Kobolds call themselves Nokas, which is believed to be derived from Nikizh-!uyras, "Mine-Builders."
Conjugation (P0 C1 P12 C2 P23 C3 P4)
I: -o-- / YoDR / I work (considered impolite if used by anyone other than deities )
We-inclusive: -o--alt / YoDRalt / We all work
We-exclusive: -o--ail / YoDRail / We work
You-singular: -a-- / YaDR / You work
You-plural: -a--akh / YaDRakh / You all work
He/She/It: -ai-a- / YaiDaR / He works (also used for 1st-person singular references)
They: -ai-a-ij / YaiDaRij / They work
Noun/Adjective: -i-i- / YiDiR / work
Indefinite Noun: si-i-i / siYiDiR / some work
Definite Actor: -u--a / YuDRa / the worker
Indefinite Actor: si-u--a / siYuDRa / a worker
Honorable Actor: kung-u--ak / kung YuDuRak / Great Worker
Tenses
Present/Imperfect: conjugation
Past/Perfect: is + conjugation
Modifiers
Plural Actor: conjugation + s/us
Command: rising conjugation (rise only P12)
Negate: mija + conjunction
Reflexive: oso + conjugation
Question: ai + conjugation
Diminutive: iti + conjugation
Word order is OVS
The-food is-cooked-by a-dragon.
Tchithin kaisan sidrukga.
The food is-cooked-by the-dragon.
Tchithin kaisan drukga.
Some food is-cooked-by The-Dragon.
Sitchithin kaisan kung-drukgak.
The food is-cooked-by a-green-dragon.
Tchithin kaisan si-chikikh-drukga.
The dragon lifts off.
Oso-thaithash drukga.
The dragon lifted off.
Oso-isthaithash drukga.
The dragon didn't lift off.
Oso-mija-isthaithash drukga.
The dragon flew into the cave.
Tchiyir pis isthaikhar drukga.
The strong black dragons are slaughtering an ugly dwarf and a sorcerous elf but not the running humans.
[An-ugly-dwarf and a-sorcerous-elf—but (the)-running-humans, no—are-being-slaughtered-by (the)-strong-black-dragons.]
Si-nirih-tinid ark si-sitik-zhikis sha kirip-mithiks thik khairakij pizik-pithiy-drukgas.
How many gold pieces do you have?
Gizhid-rikis ainaytch juzuz.
The dragon is talked to by the elf.
Drikig kairas zhuksa.
Dictionary
- God: Kung-tulmak (literally "Great Revealer or Great Digger")
- Clutch Leader: Kung-turrak (literally "Great Leader")
- Kobold: Nikizh-!uyra (literally "The Mine-Builder")
- Koboldic Language: Drikig-yisigs (literally "Dragon-Spit")
Words:
- and: ark
- at: ast
- but: sha
- for: uk
- here/this/this one (often replaces 'I'): sis
- how: kul
- how many: juzuz
- if: sij
- in: pis
- many/so/very: duplicate word
- may: ala
- no/not: thik
- on: shir
- or: u
- there/that/that one (often replaces 'he', 'she', or 'it'): lis
- to: is
- what: ku
- when: kim
- where: shush
- who: laip
- why: poku
- with: gi + obj. pronoun
- yes: aksun
Roots
- age/year: y-r-k
- air/breathe: th-r-y
- alcohol/demon: k-th-r
- allow: m-r-th
- alone/stupid: p-th-k
- animal: p-sh-r
- armor/shell: l-t-zh
- arrive: s-l-r
- arrow: sv-n-t
- beauty/nurture: k-th-d
- best: k-r-t
- big: t-d-ng
- bind: th-th-zh
- bitter: h-z-d
- black: p-th-y
- bleed: y-j-r
- blind: y-s-k
- blue: l-h-r
- boar/pig: sh-kh-p
- brave/scare: h-k-n
- bronze: j-y-r
- build: !-y-r
- burn: th-l-g
- carry: k-l-k
- carve: p-k-s
- cave: tch-y-r
- claw: g-k-s
- climb: t-n-sh
- cook/fire: k-s-n
- copper: r-tch-!!
- dance: th-y-r
- day: p-h-h
- depart: g-th-j
- die: l-k-s
- dig/reveal: t-l-m
- disappear: s-j-tch
- disguise/pretend: m-l-k
- dragon: dr-k-g
- drink: kh-j-s
- drown/rain: p-s-s
- dwarf: t-n-d
- earth: y-dr-r
- eat/food: tch-th-n
- elf: zh-k-s
- enlarge: t-l-j
- escape: s-th-th
- evil/trick: m-l-s
- exchange: d-r-kh
- fall: th-g-z
- fear: th-s-s
- find: th-r-k
- flatten: j-n-k
- fly (ascend): sv-r-n
- fly (descend): th-kh-r
- fly (flap): s-t-t
- fly (glide): y-s-th
- fly (lift): th-th-sh
- forest: k-y-s
- forge: l-r-k
- friend: th-r-l
- ghost: p-n-d
- green/grow: ch-k-kh
- gold/mint: r-k-s
- good: p-m-s
- gnome: sv-r-f
- halfling: z-z-m
- halve/part/piece: g-zh-d
- hammer: j-h-k
- hatch: !!-th-!
- hate: d-t-kh
- herd: r-y-s
- heal: r-s-th
- help: th-r-g
- hide: r-th-s
- hoard: n-y-tch
- home: k-r-th
- human: m-th-k
- hunger/want: t-y-r
- hunt: h-n-r
- injure: r-kh-y
- iron: y-sh-k
- kill: z-n-t
- know: s-y-r
- lay egg: s-th-r
- lead: t-r-r
- learn: l-th-th
- lift: r-th-tch
- love: s-k-k
- magic/spellcast: r-k-n
- mate: m-r-g
- meat/slaughter: kh-r-k
- melt/white: y-s-r
- mine: n-k-zh
- name: ts-s-s
- night: th-k-r
- orc: g-h-k
- peace: m-r-t
- pit: ng-k-z
- priest/teach: s-n-th
- read: s-j-r
- red: tch-r-r
- ride: r-p-s
- rock: v-k-zh
- run (away): k-r-p
- run (to): p-p-l
- see: k-y-r
- settle: h-r-th
- share: m-j-k
- shield: l-t-k
- shrink: k-s-j
- silver: y-r-n
- sing: m-r-k
- sleep: s-th-sv
- smart: th-k-t
- smell: n-r-kh
- sorcerer: s-t-k
- speak (a language): r-n-th
- spit: y-s-g
- steal: th-d-sh
- steel: p-y-th
- strong: p-z-k
- swim/water: h-j-ng
- sword: k-k-s
- talk: k-r-s
- thirst: p-l-k
- tire: th-g-kh
- trap (by covering): r-sh-s
- trap (by pinning): n-n-s
- trap (by outnumbering): th-d-n
- trap (in a pit): ng-m-r
- trap (in a snare): th-r-r
- trap (in a net): k-th-th
- tree: zh-ts-k
- ugly: n-r-h
- walk: l-r-th
- war: p-th-tch
- warm: !-n-t
- wear: g-s-t
- weave: p-n-h
- work: y-d-r
- worship: r-th-r
- write: g-k-sh
- yellow: y-r-p