Zingaran Language

The Zingaran Language (zing. Zaingûk Nilâr “dwarves' words”), also known simply as Common Dwarvish, was the language spoken at the time of the Great Dwarven Empire’s rule over Barasud. For centuries it remained the lingua franca of culture and commerce between the different dwarven clans and was preserved in its original form almost unchanged.
== Etymology ==
The exonym Zingaran originates from the Dwarvish word Zingâra, which meant "of the Dwarves" and was sometimes used as the native term for the language as well, though Zaingûk Nilâr was more formal and referred to the collection of dialects used by the nobility and scholars of the Great Dwarven Empire, and later Glaishkanurg.
== Phonology ==
=== Consonants ===
The standard literary form of Zingaran possessed around 28 consonant phonemes, but a few of them merged with other sounds or disappeared entirely rather early in the development of different dialects, resulting in a smaller inventory, composed of 20 consonants with insignificant allophony.
Place → 	Bilabial	Alveolar 	Alveolar 	Postalveolar 	Velar 	Glottal
Manner ↓ 	Bilabial	Central 	Sibilant 	Postalveolar 	Velar 	Glottal
Nasal 	m ⟨m⟩ 	n ⟨n⟩ 	 	 	ŋ ⟨ng⟩ 	
Stop 	b ⟨b⟩ 	t ⟨t⟩ d ⟨d⟩	ts ⟨tz⟩ dz ⟨z⟩	 	k ⟨k⟩ g ⟨g⟩	
Fricative 	β~w ⟨v⟩ 	ð ⟨dh⟩ 	s ⟨s⟩ 	ʃ ⟨sh⟩ ʒ ⟨zh⟩	x ⟨kh⟩ 	h ⟨h⟩
Approximant	β~w ⟨v⟩ 	r ⟨r⟩ 	 	j ⟨y⟩ 	ɫ ⟨l⟩ 	
=== Vowels ===
Common Dwarvish included a simple three vowels system with length distinctions and one diphthong. It also included an unstressed, weak and extra-short central vowel, which appeared in certain environments (see Phonotactics).
 	Front 	Back
Close	ɪ ⟨i⟩ i: ⟨î⟩	ʊ ⟨u⟩ u: ⟨û⟩
Mid 	aɪ̯~ɛ ⟨ai⟩ 	(ə~ɤ)
Open 	aɪ̯~ɛ ⟨ai⟩ 	ɔ ⟨a⟩ ɑ: ⟨â⟩
=== Phonotactics ===
The maximum possible size of Common Dwarvish syllables was CVC, though some words are written with initial or final consonant clusters - these sounds actually belong to different syllables, with the first one having an unwritten schwa-like short vowel as the nucleus, such as in Glaishkanurg /gəlaɪ̯ʃkɔ'nʊrəg/. Additionally, ng couldn't appear word-initially, where it merged with n, so that the root *ŋub gave rise to words like nubuz and dângub. In clusters of obstruents, the second component assimilated in voicing to match the first one (eg. vashtal from vash and -dal).
=== Word Stress ===
Usually, the last syllable containing a long vowel or a diphthong received stress, if there were no such syllables the penult was stressed (eg. zingâr, khadaz).
== Morphology & Derivation ==
All root words in Zingaran named physical objects or experienceable phenomena, rather than abstract ideas or verbs. These simple morphemes could then be used unchanged (eg. bal "leader, ruler"), most often as nouns, or with affixes and other root words attached (eg. hâdhin "sea", from ha "bad, dangerous" and adhin "waters"). Other parts of speech were derived from these basic roots and appropriate affixes. 
== Grammar ==
Common Dwarvish was mostly head-final, putting the possessor before the possessed, making use of postpositions and employing a default (but not dominant) SOV word order. However, adjectives were normally put after the nouns they modified and relative clauses came second.
=== Nouns & Adjectives ===
Nominals in Zingaran were declined according to case and number. There were four declension patterns, which depended on the type of the root and whether it ended with a vowel or a consonant.
Type → 	A-stem 	A-stem 	U-stem 	U-stem
Case ↓ 	Singular 	Plural 	Singular 	Plural
Nominative	nal / khan 	nilâr / khanda	sug / talun 	sugur / talur
Oblique 	nâl / khâ 	nalai / khazhi	sûg / talû 	sâgam / talzha
Genitive 	nalu / khai 	nailûk / khiva	saga / talak 	sugakh / taluya
Vocative 	nalim / khatim	nâlib / khaim 	sâgum / talâtum	sâgam / talâm