Dllä

Dllä is a discourse marker in the constructed language Dlä. It functions as an evidential particle that indicates the source of information and the speaker’s stance toward it. When attached to a clause, Dllä signals whether the information is directly observed, reported by others, or inferred. In practice, speakers may adjust the marker to convey emphasis, doubt, or politeness, making it a key tool for managing communicative tone in Dlä.

Origin and status: Dllä arose in online conlang communities as part of a broader effort to encode evidentiality in Dlä grammar. It was first described in draft grammars around the early 2010s and has since become a standard, widely taught feature in learner materials and reference grammars for the language. While primarily used within the conlanguistics community, Dllä has also been discussed in discussions of discourse markers and cross-cultural communication in fictional or simulated settings.

Grammar and usage: Dllä is typically realized as a clause-final clitic and may attach to the main predicate or to the preceding verb phrase. Its value—observed, reported, or inferred—governs how a listener interprets the proposition. In some dialects, Dllä can be lengthened or stressed to add emphasis or to signal politeness toward the hearer. The marker interacts with mood and aspect markers, sometimes requiring reordering of elements for clarity.

Examples: Kari var dlä. Translation: "Kari is coming, apparently." Zora paša dlä. Translation: "Zora left, I hear." These examples illustrate how Dllä marks evidential stance.

See also: evidentiality, discourse marker, conlang.