In this episode I will read a short excerpt from Terry Pratchett's Raising Steam. In this section we are in a dwarf meeting. We hear the king and his direct rival having a conversation.

Unfortunately this book is set in difficult/exciting times in Discworld, some dwarves have become terrorists and they think they are fighting for all dwarfdom, but in fact most people recognise that the future has come, and are happy about it.

Perhaps this sounds a bit familiar. There is a section where the rival discusses the importance of discussion and compromise, even when we directly disagree with each other. I wish we could hear modern leaders calling for this.

I will include the vocabulary below, but in the video I take the time to explain each section. Let me know in the comments if this works, if it helps you to understand or if you'd rather I just give you the vocabulary in the description.

Vocabulary

Unreconstructed elements - I had to look this one up because it didn't quite make sense to me. In fact the meaning is quite different to what I expected. Taking it's part it should mean 'things that haven't been made again' - which doesn't quite make sense, how can we have something that hasn't been made again🤔. But actually this whole word, with these specific prefixes has another meaning:

not reconciled to political, economic, or social change; and holding stubbornly to a particular belief, view, place, or style.

So, 'unreconstructed elements of dwarfdom' means dwarves who disagree with the change and refuse to change their beliefs.

'keep the grags auditing all that's dwarfish' - the grags are the dwarf priests. So this means that the priests are allowed to decide what is dwarfish.

'inculcated their flocks' - 'flock' is a common term used for people who follow a religion and sit in a church listening to sermons. 'inculcate' means to instill an idea.

blasphemy - speaking badly against a god or religion

diminished - reduced

grump - to be angry and frustrated and make everyone else feel uncomfortable because you're unhappy

sapient creatures - act wisely

'the floor is yours' a common phrase used to introduce or recognise another speaker in a debate

courteously - politely

headstrong - willful, determined

orchestrating attacks - if we 'orchestrate' something then we are organising it.

Clacks - this is a Discworld term and is a kind of technology, similar to the telegraph, for sending messages long distance

Nugganites - again, this is a Discworld term and refers to a Discworld religion whose god is Nuggan. This religion is dying and has gone bad. You can find out more in the book Monstrous Regiment. In the end everything Nuggan asked his followers to do was quite insane.

Benison - a blessing - I had to look up this word! Even though it's short I had never heard it before! (Terry likes to introduce rare or unusual vocabulary in his books)

'makes me ashamed to call myself a dwarf' - this is a common construction in English whenever someone finds the people they relate to are doing something they strongly disagree with.

Discourse - the process of discussion

Compromise - finding a way to meet in the middle, we each give up something so we can both gain something

cornerstone - The cornerstone of a building is one of the most important parts of it's foundation. This word has come to mean 'the foundation' of whatever we're discussing

unequivocal - without question or challenge

murrain - I think this is perhaps a play on words from Terry. There are two homonyms in English 'moraine' is a mass of rocks moved by a glacier and 'murrain' is a plague or epidemic. In the dwarf world rocks are very important. Either way, the meaning is 'I curse them! I wish something terrible for them!'

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