A Study of TsaLaGi (Cherokee)

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We should first cover a few fundamentals about the Cherokee language to help draw more accurate conclusions from the historical records. I should clarify though that I am not an expert on the Cherokee language and am only attempting to better understand the language by relating the Cherokee words we see everyday to the origins of the language so they are correctly used and pronounced.

Cherokee is an immersion language, meaning that if you are not surrounded by those who speak it and speak it yourself, it will be very difficult to learn it. Also, this means that one person or family or community may speak it a little different than any other group. The root of the language will be similar enough that other speakers will be able to understand the idea being spoken but they may not say it the same way.

Se-Quo-Ya invented a system of writing that took every sound in the Cherokee language and equated it to a unique character or symbol. This did not happen until many years after the Europeans had begun to blend the Cherokee words they had learned by hearing into their daily lives. Therefore many words we accept as Cherokee, are actually phonetic mis-pronunciations of the actual Cherokee word. An example of this is the word "Oconee". When William Bartram wrote about Oconee by calling it Uk-wu-ni, he based his spelling on what he was able to hear. While he may have captured the general sound of the word he missed the other subtleties of the speech. There is no "Uk" sound in Cherokee so this should be simply "U" or "oo" as Europeans would pronounce it. There is a "wu" sound in Cherokee but the presence of the 'K' sound probably means the K should be attached to the "wu" sound giving us what is actually "Quu". "Ni" is correct. So instead of Uk-Wu-Ni we should say U-Quu-Ni.

You can learn more about the Cherokee language from several resources on the internet. The best online resource I've found are the classes offered by the Cherokee Nation in Tahlequah, Oklahoma. They have designed a downloadable font and have many online resources to assist you. Click here to view the Cherokee Syllabary.

I've compiled several language lessons from many online resources. You can download the text of it here. Cherokee Language Guide

If you have information or questions about the Cherokee language, I'd be interested in hearing from you. You can reach me at: