Sequoyah

The Cherokee language is written in a syllabary invented by Sequoyah (also known as George Gist or George Guess). In his system, each symbol represents a syllable rather than a single phoneme. While the large number of syllables in English (tens of thousands) precludes the use of a syllabary, the 85 characters in the Cherokee syllabary provide a suitable method to write Cherokee. Some symbols do resemble Latin alphabet letters, but the sounds are completely different (the form of the letter for /a/ resembles Latin D, for example). A syllabary is a set of written symbols that represent (or approximate) syllables, which make up words. ... Original distribution of the Cherokee language Cherokee (; Tsalagi) is an Iroquoian language spoken by the Cherokee people which uses a unique syllabary writing system. ... ISO 15924, Codes for the representation of names of scripts, defines two sets of codes for a number of writing systems (scripts). ... Articles with similar titles include the NATO phonetic alphabet, which has also informally been called the “International Phonetic Alphabet”. For information on how to read IPA transcriptions of English words, see IPA chart for English. ... The Unicode Standard, Version 5. ... Download high resolution version (500x720, 58 KB)Picture of Sequoyah from the danish Wikipedia. ... Download high resolution version (500x720, 58 KB)Picture of Sequoyah from the danish Wikipedia. ... Original distribution of the Cherokee language Cherokee (; Tsalagi) is an Iroquoian language spoken by the Cherokee people which uses a unique syllabary writing system. ... A syllabary is a set of written symbols that represent (or approximate) syllables, which make up words. ... This article or section does not cite any references or sources. ... A syllable (Ancient Greek: ) is a unit of organization for a sequence of speech sounds. ... In human language, a phoneme is the theoretical representation of a sound. ... The Latin alphabet, also called the Roman alphabet, is the most widely used alphabetic writing system in the world today. ...

Some of the Latin transcriptions are approximate. For example, the autonym Tsalagi (="Cherokee") is transcribed into English with ts, l, and g, even though they more closely resemble Korean ᄌ, ᄅ, and ᄀ rather than the sounds suggested by the romanization. An ethnonym (Gk. ...

Not all phonemic distinctions of the spoken language are represented. For example, while /d/+vowel syllables are mostly differentiated from /t/+vowel by use of different graphs, syllables beginning with /g/ are all conflated with those beginning with /k/. Also, long vowels are not ordinarily distinguished from short vowels, tones are not marked, and there is no regular rule for representing consonant clusters. In human language, a phoneme is the theoretical representation of a sound. ...

However, as with some other writing systems (like Arabic writing), adult speakers can distinguish words by context. The syllabary achieved almost instantaneous popularity, and for decades was used in the Cherokee Phoenix, a Cherokee newspaper. It is still used today to transcribe recipes, religious lore, folktales, etc. Knowledge of it is considered necessary for full Cherokee citizenship. The Arabic alphabet is the script used for writing languages such as Arabic, Persian, Urdu, and others. ... The Cherokee Phoenix was the first Indian published newspaper. ...

In recent years, startling evidence has emerged suggesting that the Cherokee syllabary provided a model for the design of the Vai syllabary in Liberia, across the ocean in Africa. The Vai syllabary is the earliest form of writing devised in western Africa, which emerged about 1832/33. The link appears to have been Cherokee who emigrated to Liberia after the invention of the Cherokee syllabary (which in its early years spread like wildfire among the Cherokee) but before the invention of the Vai syllabary. One such man, Cherokee Austin Curtis, married into a prominent Vai family and became an important Vai chief himself. It is perhaps not coincidence that the "inscription on a house" that drew the world's attention to existence of the Vai script was in fact on the home of Curtis, a Cherokee. There also appears to be a connection between an early form of written Bassa, with the earlier Cherokee syllabary.   The Vai script was devised by of Jondu, in what is now Grand Cape Mount County, Liberia. ... Look up Vai in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... The Bassa are a people of Liberia, living in Grand Bassa, Rivercess, and Montserrado counties, who speak the Bassa language, a Kru language. ...

Note: ‘v’ is a nasal vowel in this chart. Image File history File links Cherokee-syllabary. ... A nasal vowel is a vowel that is produced with a lowering of the velum so that air escapes both through nose as well as the mouth. ...

References

• Konrad Tuchscherer. 2002 (with P.E.H. Hair). "Cherokee and West Africa: Examining the Origins of the Vai Script," History in Africa, 29, pp. 427-486.

Konrad Tuchscherer (born February 16, 1970, Neenah, Wisconsin) is an educator, scholar, writer, and public intellectual. ...

Further reading

• Cherokee Language and Culture (Firm). ([200-]). Cherokee syllabary. Tulsa, OK: Cherokee Language and Culture.
• Cowan, A. (1981). Cherokee syllabary primer. Park Hill, Okla: Cross-Cultural Education Center.

External links

• Omniglot report on Cherokee