Cherokeelanguage

The Cherokee language is an Iroquoian language spoken by the Cherokee people, primarily in Oklahoma and North Carolina. It is one of the two Iroquoian languages still spoken today, the other being Mohawk. The language is also sometimes referred to as Tsalagi Gawu or the Cherokee people as Tsalagi.

Cherokee has three main dialects: the Middle dialect, spoken by the majority of Cherokee speakers in Oklahoma; the Overhill dialect; and the Eastern dialect, spoken in North Carolina. These dialects are mutually intelligible but show some variation in pronunciation and vocabulary.

The language uses a unique writing system developed by Sequoyah in the early 1820s. Known as the Cherokee syllabary, this writing system consists of 85 characters representing syllables rather than individual sounds. Sequoyah's syllabary enabled the Cherokee Nation to become one of the most literate societies in the United States during the 1820s, with literacy rates higher than the general American population.

Cherokee is a polysynthetic language, meaning words are typically formed by combining multiple morphemes. The language has a complex verb system with extensive use of prefixes and suffixes to indicate tense, aspect, mood, and other grammatical features. Nouns are animate or inanimate, and the language employs a sophisticated system of classifiers.

Today, Cherokee faces significant endangerment with fewer than 2,000 fluent speakers remaining. Most speakers are elderly, creating concerns about intergenerational transmission. The Cherokee Nation and Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians have implemented various language revitalization programs, including immersion schools, adult education classes, and digital resources. The Cherokee One Fire app and online dictionaries have been developed to help preserve and teach the language to younger generations.

Efforts continue to maintain Cherokee as a living language through community programs, cultural events, and educational initiatives across Cherokee communities in both Oklahoma and North Carolina.