the secret discourse : linguistics : conlangs : cepperjoleddicg

Cepperjòleddicg 1998 - 2000

Cepperjoleddicg 2000 - 2002

Cepperjòleddicg (1998) was my first serious language project. It’s also the longest lived and most prolific of my languages. It existed in two definitive stages. The above link connects to the 2000 Dictionary. Even though I produced more literature during this stage in the language than I ever have in this language or in any other, today only the dictionary and one poem exist.

A few words about the dictionary: A good many words are lifted directly from other languages: elf, eleven; dubh, black; or are taken with very little change, djubhsþwennyjj, sensual; Chguwfroll, February. A lot of the vocabulary reflects changes that were going on through my life when I was thirteen and fourteen -- autodryyfsdwolþ djæda, driver’s license; cuanjèansoomer, homosexual; -- and my concurrent interests -- armiddjòledd dagaal geþþèaewda (ADG), international auxiliary language; gojèæga, zodiac; gemba, marijuana. Kinda silly in retrospect, I think :-)

Cepperjòleddicg was originally designed to be a language for a micronation, the (original) Arq. Every once in a while, one will find bizarre entries for Arkan terminology -- cwibher, qwivvir; Nebhiyr, the Mallet. There’re also quite a bit of strange entries which reflect my current readings. I had just run across Adelic and had absolutely fallen in love with the language. This’ll explain words like stooda, studhorse; stagga, guy line; and ebbavllooda, ebbtide – words no thirteen year old kid has any use for.

I liked to think of my language as Germanic, but it was anything but. It hardly even suggested a Germanic language. A lot of the sounds were originally inspired by Adelic, and after reading The Celtic Consciousness I ended up with some pretty ridiculous variations on my original Germanic roots. Furthermore, I originally had several infinitive endings (-an, -a, -er, -(e)st), and every once in a while, one can still see vestiges of these floating around: ðeggran, to tie.

And the cameos continue. At the time I began the project, the only conlang I was well acquainted with was Esperanto, and this, the dreaded IAL, also makes an appearance: 93% of Cepperjòleddicg nouns end in -a. This I’m the least proud of. Grotesque and uncreative as the rest of the language was, I wish I had had the courage to embrace more declensions. It would have made things more interesting.

It’s not a good language. It’ll never go down in conlinguistic history. But it will always hold a place in my heart. Enjoy it, ladies and gentlemen. It was good to me. I’ll hope it’ll be good to you.

Transitional Cepperjoleddicg This represents that weird period in 2000 and early 2001 when I reworked Cepperjòleddicg into Cepperjoleddicg. This grammar, a magnificent little gem, especially when one considers I made it when I was fifteen ( :-) ), is the only surviving document from this time period.

Cepperjoleddicg (2000) in its most modern form I designed between 2000 and 2002. I was heavily influenced at first by Scandinavian languages, as one might be able to tell from words from the Transitional Grammar, but as I became more and more aware of the flaws in my language, I, almost panicked, absorbed a fantastic amount of Gothic grammar and vocabulary.

Grammar:

-- Accidence A brief discussion of grammatical points and pronunciation. Mostly lists and tables -- technical stuff -- but there are some notes on usage and diction.

-- Strong Declensions Exceptions to the rules. Strong declensions and a concise overview of Cepper grammatical gradation.

-- Differences among the Cepperjoleddicg Dialects I’ve imagined there being Cepper dialects since 1999. I kept the information for the separate dialects in different folders, a green one and a purple, and these colors lent their names to the first Cepper dialects -- Grøn (Grœna) and Bøffdeuja (Rœyþøþlį).

-- Resources Used to Make Cepperjoleddicg A list of links.

Vocabulary, literature, and culture:

-- The Dictionary in Two Parts 1 2

-- A handful of texts in Grœna and Rœyþøþlį Cepperjoleddicg. You might also be interested in Grœna Cepperjoleddicg’s participation in the Conlang Relay 6.5.

-- The Cepperjoleddicg College of Weights, Measures, and Exactitudes