History
It is generally considered that Cherokees migrated to the region of southeast from the Great Lakes region around three thousand years ago. That’s the reason why there is limited similarity between it and the other Iroquoian languages. They settled in the area what is now known as Georgia, Tennessee, and the Carolinas. They started migrating west from pressure from the European settlers. The remainder of them was forced to migrate to Oklahoma in 1838. Though, a few managed to settle in the mountain forest of North Carolina. By one estimate, 70 to 80 percent of Cherokees were literate in their script. As early as 1828, a newspaper by the name of Cherokee Phoenix, which was in Cherokee language, was established. But, it did not continue beyond the relocation.
Language Family
The Cherokee language is currently spoken by around 20,000 people, though only 130 can claim to be monolingual. Among its key dialects are: Kituhwa, Overhill-Middle Cherokee, Elati and Otali. Its speakers are generally spread across Oklahoma and North Carolina . It is considered to be the only member of the Southern Branch of Iroquoian group of languages. Other languages of the Iroquoian group include, Seneca, Onondega, Tuscorora, Mohawk and Wyandot-Huron. Major differences can be found in the dialect along the geographical divide. There are two dialects spoken in North Carolina and one is spoken in Oklahoma. The dialect of Oklahoma is believed to be formed due to mixing up of other dialects when tribes were migrating to same reservation area. In contrast the dialects of North Carolina exhibit less change. This happened as a result of isolation of speakers due to geographical barriers. All these dialects are mutually intelligible, and those of Oklahoma differ only in their phonological features.
Writing System
The syllabary of the Cherokee language was created by George Guess/Gist, also known as Chief Sequoyah, between 1809 and 1824 . His first experiment with the writing system was based on the system of logograms. It was later found to be cumbersome and unsuitable for Cherokee. The final version has some symbols derived from Latin alphabets and Western Numerals. By the year 1820, Cherokees in thousands, had learnt the syllabary, and by 1830, 90% were literate. It then went on to be used to write books, almanacs, newspapers and even religious texts. Currently, efforts are being made to revive the language, and as a step in that direction, courses are being offered colleges and universities.
The number of consonants in Cherokee is about 17. Its nouns are divided into
Linguistic Analysis
Cherokee is considered to be a polysynthetic language, which means words have many parts. This is best exemplified by the verbs, which make up for 75%, as compared to English where they make up 25% .
Phonology
At a glimpse, it gives an impression that it a rather simple language, which is because of small number of vowels and consonants. Consonants would be : “p, b (both borrowed from English), t, d, tl, dl, k, g, kw, gw, glottal stop [‘], palatal affricates [c,j], s, h, l, m, n, hn, w, hw, y and hy”. Vowels are: “i, ii, e, ee, a, aa, u, uu, o, and oo. That makes a total of 23 consonants and 12 vowels.
Morphological and Syntactic Structures
nouns.
The nouns of Cherokee language are made up of one or more than one prefixes. And there would be a number of suffixes. Further, the nouns are divided into inanimate and animate classes, but not until it is in plural form.
verbs.
Their verbs are even more complex. “They encode information about who is doing what to whom, in what shape and condition, how many, which gender, when and how – one of the reasons for the language’s typological classification as “polysynthetic” – and one verb complex may express ideas that in English my require several sentential expressions” .
Social and Political Analysis
Acculteration and Assimilation
The process of acculturation, for the Cherokees, began rather early with the introduction of good from Europe as early as 1673. The growth of trade with Europeans also changed their hunting practices leading to endangering to extinction of game animals. Their clothing styles also changed. Also, their intermarriages with white and black communities also brought about drastic change in their family structure. What was unique about their culture was that it was matrilineal in structure. That means decent is traced via the female line. The change in this structure was brought about under the influence of white males who wanted to be considered to be the head of the family. And they also wanted to pass on their surnames along the generations. In this regard they also got the support from the missionaries .
Traditions, Customs and Beliefs
Most of the people belonging to Cherokee tribe are hard to distinguish from the white people. There customs, beliefs, and habits are same as those of other Americans. But, they go gather at various ceremonial grounds, called the “stomp grounds”. Such grounds have their own religious leaders. These grounds are used for religious ceremonies, which involve dances done in anti-clockwise direction around a sacred fire.
Relations with US Government
As early as 1791, treaties between the United States and the Cherokees of Georgia recognized Cherokees as a nation. This gave them the authority to make their laws and preserve their customs. But gradually those treaties whittled away, and they decided to move to northwestern Arkansas. As more and more land ceded away, their number moving to Arkansas increased. By 1819, the federal government was notified by the Cherokee National council that it will no longer give way land. This hardened stand showed their resolve to remain on what they considered as they traditional lands .
Revival of Cherokee Language and Technology
The tribe is recognizing the fact that it needs to have more fluent speakers than it is losing . In an effort in that direction, they started a new language academy at a cost of $7 million. It had 30 students from kindergarten and Grade II, and the objective is to make them bilingual by time the complete Grade V. They have also actively involving the older generation in preserving their culture and creating a bridge between the generations.
More recently, there has been a concerted effort to revive the language and use technology as a tool towards that end. It is a language that was last modernized 200 years ago. In the 21st century, it is being given a new lease of life . This push to reemerge the language came from their tribal leaders who went on to introduce Cherokee Nation Immersion Charter School. To solve school’s technology problem, then went about looking for a solution that could be used with the Cherokee language. To take it to the next level, they developed a partnership with Microsoft. Under this partnership, Windows operating system will be created for Cherokee language. According to Microsoft, Cherokee would become the first Native American language to be included in their portfolio of operating system. While doing so they faced many practical problems. For example, they found that in Cherokee language there was no equivalent of word “Folder”. Something that came closest was “you are putting things in container”. Not sitting on laurels, the Cherokee translation team is working with other software and IT companies such as Google, Facebook and Apple with the idea of expanding the scope of the language beyond the traditional homeland of eastern Oklahoma and North Carolina.
The gained momentum has influenced US universities to step in to promote the language . The Western Carolina University’s Cherokee Center has been functioning for past 35 years. The center began with providing general education about the language. Now, it offers Cherokee studies as a minor subject at undergraduate level. At graduate level, it offers a certificate in Cherokee studies. It also offers Master’s degree in American History with emphasis on Cherokee studies.
Conclusion
It is indeed remarkable how a language that was “scripted” by just one person managed to survive the turbulent times of American history. And with strong footing on the computer world, is expected to surge in the 21st century.
Bibliography
Centre For Advanced Research On Language Acquisition. (n.d.). The cherokee Nation and its language. Retrieved 12 11, 2013, from http://www.carla.umn.edu/conferences/past/immersion2008/documents/Peter_L_CherokeeNation.pdf
Cherokee of California. (n.d.). Cherokee Removal - The Trail Where They Cried. Retrieved from Cherokee of California: http://www.powersource.com/cocinc/history/trail.htm
Conley, R. J. (n.d.). Cherokees. Retrieved from Countries and Their Culture: http://www.everyculture.com/multi/Bu-Dr/Cherokees.html
Morris, G. (2009, 12 02). Effort to revive language calls Cherokee old and young. Retrieved from Smoky Mountain News: http://www.smokymountainnews.com/news/item/1288-effort-to-revive-language-calls-cherokee-old-and-young
Nelson, K. (2012, 07 17). Groups bring new life to the ancient Cherokee language. Retrieved from Carolina Public Press: http://www.carolinapublicpress.org/10572/groups-bringing-new-life-to-ancient-cherokee-language
Omniglot. (n.d.). Cherokee Syllabary. Retrieved 12 11, 2013, from http://www.omniglot.com/writing/cherokee.htm
Saylor, R. (2013, 03 07). Technology aids Cherokee language re-emergence. Retrieved from The City Wire: http://www.thecitywire.com/node/26789#.Uqnmm_RDsrU
UCLA. (n.d.). Cherokee. Retrieved 12 11, 2013, from http://www.lmp.ucla.edu/Profile.aspx?LangID=1&menu=004
