Cherokee

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Flag of the Cherokee Nation
Flag of the Cherokee Nation
Flag of the United Keetoowah Band
Flag of the United Keetoowah Band
Flag of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians
Flag of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians

Welcome to the Cherokee Wikibook! This is a work in progress.

Are you a Cherokee person endeavoring to learn your ancestral language?

Are you a non-Cherokee person interested in the Cherokee language?

If so, we hope this book may be of great use to you! The introduction provides a contextualization of the Cherokee language, its status, and its standout features. The lessons are designed to explain concepts in thorough, accurate, and unpretentious language that the common reader will understand.

Learning Cherokee, or any language, is a long process requiring great emotional investment, time commitment, and a dedication to using practical strategies to overcome inevitable challenges, anxiety, and frustration. You must be patient. We graciously invite you to proceed if you believe this undertaking to be worth it.

If you have any general questions about content in this book, feel free to leave a comment on the Discussion tab of the corresponding page.

Note: You must be using Cherokee Unicode Supported Fonts to view this book correctly. Information on obtaining and installing Cherokee Unicode Fonts for Windows 2000 and Windows XP is available on the Cherokee Unicode page. Mac OS X from version 10.3 (Panther), Windows Vista and some Linux Operating Systems include default support for displaying the Cherokee Language in syllabary.

Introduction[edit | edit source]

For Everyone[edit | edit source]

Reading these short articles is highly recommended to everyone! You will understand how the Cherokee language fits into the larger North American linguistic situation, get an overview of the history of the language, and become aware of the revitalization projects.

For the New Learner[edit | edit source]

The new learner of Cherokee may easily feel discouraged by the reputation of the language as tonally complex and polysynthetic. The articles below will help demystify these phenomena and show you the true nature of the structure of Cherokee. Also check out the article on learning tips.

For the Linguist and Dedicated Student[edit | edit source]

Grammar[edit | edit source]

Below is a list of articles about specific areas of Cherokee grammar. Linguists will find this a good place to start research. The general learner is also highly encouraged to refer these articles as they are recommended throughout the course.

General Topics[edit | edit source]

Phonology[edit | edit source]

Orthography[edit | edit source]

  • On the Syllabary

Verbs[edit | edit source]

Pronouns[edit | edit source]

  • Pronominal Prefixes (Chart)

Affixes[edit | edit source]

  • Prepronominal Prefixes
  • Derivational Suffixes
  • Modal Clitics
  • Other Affixes

Nouns and Adjectives[edit | edit source]

  • Nouns
  • Adjectives
  • Derivational Morphology

Adverbs[edit | edit source]

Connectors[edit | edit source]

  • Adpositions
  • Conjunctions

Quantity[edit | edit source]

  • Expressing Quantity
  • Numerals

Niche Studies[edit | edit source]

  • Ambiguity in the Syllabary and Possible Solutions

Course[edit | edit source]

General (i.e. non-linguist) learners should feel free to start from these lessons! Some important grammar points are contained in their own lesson pages for neater reference.

Lesson Number Topic Associated Grammar Points

Preparation and Drills[edit | edit source]

i Syllabary: Reading and Writing
ii Listening for Vowel Length
iii Listening for Tones

Module 1: Fundamentals[edit | edit source]

1 Greetings and Introductions
2 Basic Vocabulary
3 Simple Sentences Word Order, Parts of Speech
4 Important Verbs Features of Verbs, Conjugation Overview
5 More Sentence Structures

Module 2: Core Content[edit | edit source]

6 Numbers and Quantity Cardinal and Ordinal Numbers, Counters
7 Time and Date
8 Stuff
9 Feelings and Emotions
10 Communication Using Tone
11 Sensory Perception
12 Cognition
13 Describing Life
14 Describing People
15 Interpersonal Relationships
16 Physics and Structure
17 Life Activities
18 Describing Stuff
19 Earth

Module 3: Culture[edit | edit source]

20

Lexicon & Vocabulary Lists[edit | edit source]

Temporary[edit | edit source]

Notes for the Book Writers

Additional Resources[edit | edit source]

Cherokee Nation Language Department

Cherokee-English Online Dictionary

CED Game

Digital Archive of Indigenous Language Persistence (DAILP)

Cherokee Writing the Keetoowah Way (DAILP)

Culturev Cherokee Resource

Resources