ᎢᏤᎢ ᏚᎩᎷ

       This is the Cherokee syllabary, our written language.  Each consonant is prounounced roughly the same as it's English counterpart.  The "v" is used as a vowel substituting the uh sound in but, however it is usually somewhat nasalized.  The ts when we speak it here locally is often the j sound and the tl is more of a cl sound.  AEIOU all take the roman pronunciations:

fAther, Egg (more like AYgg), pIzza, Orange, yoU

Did you know that Ssiquoya is the only person in the history of the world to create an entire written language on his own?  Although many children play around with symbols and create make believe languages and codes with their friends Ssiquoya created a syllabary which was first used by the Cherokees living in what is now called Arkansas.  The syllabary is still in common use by Cherokee speakers and it is helping to preserve the Cherokee language from extinction.  The Cherokee are not the only Natives to have their own written language.  The Osage and the Inuit have developed their own alphabets based loosely off the Roman Alphabet and the trend is spreading.  To see the Osage alphabet you can visit the site: http://www.osagetribe.com/language/info_sub_page.aspx?subpage_id=5

Grammar

This is perhaps one of the scariest words in the English lexicon but that does not necessarily mean that it is a bad thing!  By learning grammar, one step at a time, we learn how to effectively use words together to communicate ideas, feelings, etc.  It does not have to be a daunting task and is not daunting if one takes the time to learn it a little at a time.

What does grammar entail?

If we take three words in English like: I, eat and cake we can make a variety of combinations.

i.e.:  I eat cake.  Eat I cake.  I cake eat.  Cake I eat.  Eat cake I.  Cake eat I.

As a native speaker of English (or near enough to read this page) you likely identified the first example as the most natural way of expressing the sentence.  Grammar rules that apply to the formula you know subconsciously might be charted as:

Subject--Verb--Object

In Cherokee there are a fair number of grammatical rules as Cherokee, like every spoken human language on the planet, is a complex and complete language.  A basic explanation of the grammar will follow with, perhaps in time, a more comprehensive over view of Cherokee grammar. 

Disclaimer:  All human language is fluid and subject to change.  Great care is being taken in preserving the generally accepted vocabulary and grammatical uses as documented by linguists studying what is sometimes called the "Western Dialect" of Cherokee.  Be aware that speaking with a fluent speaker and studying with them can be one of the most effective methods of learning the language.   Special thanks go out to all students of the Cherokee language who are working towards its preservation.  No single dictionary or language construction reference is used but a number of them to identify parts of the language that are more consistent and parts that vary. 

Cherokee Verbs

Cherokee verbs are complex and make up the heart of the language. 

The verb generally consists of 3 parts: the prefix, the root and the suffix.  There can be more than one prefix and more than one suffix.  For beginners it is important to note that within a verb in Cherokee we can have an entire sentence. 

A bound pronoun is ALWAYS present as a prefix and tells us who did it.  There are a number of other types of prefixes but one should start with learning the Pronouns. 

Time is also communicated in the verb often as a suffix but also as a prefix.  Time tells us when it happened, is happening, will happen, and how frequently.

There are other functions of the verb that can be looked into at a later time.

Cherokee Nouns

Cherokee nouns are less complex.  Some are nominalizations of verbs and others seem to stand alone.  Distinguishing plurality is the exception, not the rule.

Cherokee Adjectives

Cherokee adjectives must agree in number but there is no gender marker.

Cherokee Adverbs

Other

Sample vocabulary 

The Basics:

Wado -- thank you

Sgi -- thank you (just another way to say it)

Tohitsu -- how are you?

Tohiquu -- fine

Nigadv -- everyone

Saquui 1

Tali 2

Tsoi 3

Nvgi 4

Hisgi 5

Sudali 6

Gal'quogi 7

Tsunela 8

Sonela 9

Sgohi 10

Topography, Etc.

1.    gadusi -- hill

2.    digadusi -- hills

3.    odalv -- mountain

4.    dodalv -- mountains

5.    ama ganugogv -- spring (water)

6.    vdali -- pond/ lake

7.    amequohi -- ocean/ sea

8.    uweyvi -- stream

9.    equoni -- river

10.  usdagalv -- cave

11. adohi -- woods

12. tlogesi -- field

13.  nvno -- road

14.  deganvnv -- roads

15.  utana nvnohi -- highway

16.  asvtlv -- bridge

17.  adanvnv -- store

18.  (ts)undelquasdi -- school

19.  adelvdidi -- bank (money)

20.  utana tsundelquasdi -- college

*Make sure that when you pronounce multiple vowels in a row that you don't slur them together.  navi should be pronounced na.v.i.

       Galagina Boudinott was a great Cherokee linguist who started up the Cherokee and English language newspaper the Cherokee Phoenix.  This part of our page is dedicated to Galagina, Siquoya and all others who share our goal of preserving the Cherokee language.

For information about other native languages please check out the following link: 

http://www.native-languages.org/