Saturday, July 29, 2017

Mono-Lingual Cherokee

A lot has been discussed about how to save and revive the Cherokee language.

Some have pointed to a need for textbooks;

Others want videos and movies, songs and video games;
Computer programs and apps.
Now,
These are all helpful tools to use along with reviving the language, but they are NOT the means for truly reviving and saving it.

What will save Cherokee language?

None of those things.

The language will be saved when it is used.
(you may consider supporting the effort of promoting its use by helping us on patreon.com/tsasuyed )

What is needed are monolingual Cherokee speakers.

We need communities full of people dedicated to ONLY speaking Cherokee.

Languages DIE when they try to survive by being bi-lingual.
In fact, it is a well known fact that even bilingual-ism does not last long unless this city has a regular flow of monolingual speakers from both languages.

Just look at the history of America and 3rd generation immigrants.  

In almost every wave of immigration, the monolingual parents came here speaking the language of their homelands 
and their children grew up bi-lingual, 
but their grandchildren became English only speakers.

To gauge how healthy, how strong a language really is, we need to look at the percentage of the young people between 16 and 30 who speak it exclusively and who speak it daily. 

Yes, ages 16-30.

Older speakers don't truly contribute to the continuance of the language because they are not raising their young families. 

They can be a resource, but they are no longer the source.

Research has shown us that even a fluent native child when taken into the environment of another dominant language and ceases to use their child hood language will forget every word of their native fluency to the point of their own language even sounding foreign to them.
Younger speakers don't count because that language can be over written if not consistently kept up until the teen and young adult years.  

They may even speak it daily in school or even speak it at home. But if they are out of school, their minority language will all too often never be spoken unless maybe in brief visits at home. 

So, yes, ages 16-30 must be FLUENT speakers. 

Until communities commit to establishing fluent, monolingual speakers ages 16-30, a language, even a strong one, withers away and dies.

Consider what is happening to indigenous languages all over the world.  
Study what is happening to Irish.  
Read about the struggle of native american languages.  

There is ONLY one language that dropped to fewer than 300 speakers that was revived.  

There were very few real speakers.  
But there was a desire to save the Hebrew language.
So, a commitment was made to monolingual-ism. 

This was a HUGE sacrifice for the parents that embarked on their mono-lingual commitment.  
They lost the ability to communicate well with their own children.  
But they knew it was worth it.  They knew it was important.  They willingly made the sacrifice.
Those children were monolingual.  
They married one another and created more monolingual families.  
Today, there are some bilingual speakers of Hebrew, but there are thriving communities of mono-lingual Hebrew speakers.

This is the commitment that is required if Cherokee language is going to not just survive, but thrive.

Mono-lingual families.

Speaking Cherokee Only.

This will be what saves the Cherokee Language.

It will be revived when it is spoken.

So, no, Children speakers under age 16 don't contribute to the health of a language. 

Obviously, they are needed to "grow up" into the 16-30-somethings that speak.  But they are not the be-all and end-all for planning a revival of language.

It is not the children.

Not the second language learners.
  
Not Bi-lingual Speakers.  

But FLUENT monolingual speakers if the language is to TRULY be a "Living" language.

The ones that survive are the ones that have a community of ages 16-30 that are monolingual, fluent speakers.


16-30



[note:  to read more about how Hebrew was revived, check out
 http://www.jpost.com/Jewish-World/Jewish-News/This-week-in-history-Revival-of-the-Hebrew-language  

The way it was done CAN be replicated with ANY other language ]

Friday, July 21, 2017

Learning to read

First, click on the YOUTUBE link within the video box or else it will say it is disabled

you must actually go to youtube to view the video.

To do that, click the "PLAY" arrow in the middle below, THEN click in the lower right corner where it says YOUTUBE then it should allow you to play it there.

sorry if that was confusing

Thursday, July 20, 2017

Learning to read Sequoyan Script

Learning to read Sequoyah's script is important because

--each syllable is a morpheme and it DOES have meaning that you need to know and understand how to use

--the written meaning remains the same no matter the differences in pronunciation or dialects

--old documents are available that will help you learn the language faster if you know how to read them

--fewer speakers are available to study with and work with and it is vital that original source documents be accessible to you for learning

--literacy develops the brain's use of syntax and grammar almost "unconsciously" as opposed to untold hours of agonizing study 

--literacy develops better speakers and is the first step on the path to real fluency

--the cultural significance of Sequoyah's Syllabary masterpiece only becomes fully realized once one can read it


But-- how do we learn to read?

Many, many friends have tried this and told me THIS WORKS!

First, they attend our workshop on syllabary and then -- on a daily basis-- they write out a song we share in that syllabary workshop AND

they watch specific videos we have posted on YOUTUBE.

We have decided that

although it is important to go to the seminar
and
although the song that is written out daily is important too

we decided to SHARE that specific set of videos (minus 2 that are only available to workshop participants) with EVERYONE who watches YOUTUBE.

So- you may not have the seminar or the song but you CAN write out the syllabary using a chart.


So do that daily 





AND


watch this YOUTUBE PLAYLIST

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLvT2Y0DiT0goAycQ6sk686sJdU5pv2G1Z


 - and SING ALONG!- 3x a day every day
Sing these songs in the playlist while READING along with the screen
--do this--

Of course, you could



-- in addition to using your flashcards and writing out the syllabary as you say the pronunciations-- every day-- and you WILL learn to read. 

Join this with our workshop we offer and you will become literate in Sequoyan Syllabary. Contact Cherokee Bible Project to set up a workshop for your group. 



Tle- versus Tse- prefix

As you know from previous posts and if you have studied other Cherokee Grammar sources,

Eastern dialect does not use the   Ꮬ-Ꮭ/Ꮮ/Ꮯ/Ꮰ/Ꮱ/Ꮲ  tla/tle/tli/tlo/tlu/tlv line and instead replaces the old words with those spellings with Ꮳ/Ꮴ/Ꮵ/Ꮶ/Ꮷ/Ꮸ tsa/tse/tsi/tso/tsu/tsv.

[note:  remember, this is not true of the list of western words that changed their spelling during the Cherokee seminary years {this refers to word spellings that changed from Ꮃ/Ꮄ/Ꮅ/Ꮆ/Ꮇ/Ꮈ la/le/li/lo/lu/lv and were (from then on) spelled with Ꮬ-Ꮭ/Ꮮ/Ꮯ/Ꮰ/Ꮱ/Ꮲ  tla/tle/tli/tlo/tlu/tlv  syllables;  eastern words still use the spellings of Ꮃ/Ꮄ/Ꮅ/Ꮆ/Ꮇ/Ꮈ la/le/li/lo/lu/lv for those words but the western dialect uses Ꮬ-Ꮭ/Ꮮ/Ꮯ/Ꮰ/Ꮱ/Ꮲ  tla/tle/tli/tlo/tlu/tlv} but this blog is not dealing with that issue at this time]

Common words that you may see 
this "Swap" on include the words for 
"Tree"  
[ᏡᎬ / ᏧᎬ tlugv / tsugv]
and 
"Don't touch it!". (A word little kids hear a LOT! lol!)
[ᏞᏍᏗ / ᏤᏍᏗ tlesdi / tsesdi]

The New Testament uses the western spelling (also the "Tennessee Dialect") for those words but the Big Covers use the old eastern dialect.

You can see/hear that difference in this old song found on Youtube HERE:  
https://youtu.be/KTDL5oDTRWg

Ꮞ ᏍᏗ Ꮞ ᏍᏗ Ꮳ Ꮢ Ꮒ Ꮈ Ꭹ
Ꮞ ᏍᏗ Ꮳ Ꮢ Ꮒ Ꮈ Ꭹ Ꭹ Ꭵ
Ꮞ ᏍᏗ Ꮞ ᏍᏗ Ꮳ Ꮢ Ꮒ Ꮈ Ꭹ
Ꮞ ᏍᏗ Ꮳ Ꮢ Ꮒ Ꮈ Ꭹ Ꭹ Ꭵ
Ꭴ Ꮑ Ꮃ Ꭹ Ꮎ Ꮝ Ꭹ Ꭴ Ꮅ Ꮝ Ꮘ Ꮧ
Ꭴ Ꮑ Ꮃ Ꭹ Ꭴ Ꮑ Ꮃ Ꭹ Ꭵ
Ꭴ Ꮒ Ꮳ Ꮤ Ꮕ Ꭿ Ᏸ Ꮓ Ꮪ Ꮈ
Ꮞ Ꮝ Ꮧ Ꮳ Ꮢ Ꮒ Ꮈ Ꭹ Ꭹ Ꭵ
Ꮞ ᏍᏗ Ꮞ ᏍᏗ Ꮳ Ꮢ Ꮒ Ꮈ Ꭹ
Ꮞ ᏍᏗ Ꮳ Ꮢ Ꮒ Ꮈ Ꭹ Ꭹ Ꭵ
Ꮞ ᏍᏗ Ꮞ ᏍᏗ Ꮳ Ꮢ Ꮒ Ꮈ Ꭹ
Ꮞ ᏍᏗ Ꮳ Ꮢ Ꮒ Ꮈ Ꭹ Ꭹ Ꭵ


compare that to the language found in the New Testament in the Other Dialect:

Colossians 2:21
(Touch not; taste not; handle not;
ᎪᎶᏏ ᎠᏁᎯ ᎨᎪᏪᎳᏁᎸᎯ 2:21
(ᏴᏫ ᎤᏂᏁᏨᎯ ᎠᎴ ᏧᎾᏕᏲᏅᎯ? ᎾᏍᎩ ᏞᏍᏗ ᏣᏒᏂᎸᎩ; ᏞᏍᏗ ᎤᏍᏗᎤᏅ ᏣᎬᎩ; ᏞᏍᏗ ᏣᏱᏙᎸᎩ;
go-lo-si a-ne-hi ge-go-we-la-ne-lv-hi 2:21
(Yv-wi u-ni-ne-tsv-hi a-le tsu-na-de-yo-nv-hi? na-s-gi tle-s-di tsa-sv-ni-lv-gi; tle-s-di u-s-di-u-nv tsa-gv-gi; tle-s-di tsa-yi-do-lv-gi;
golosi anehi gegowelanelvhi 2:21
(yvwi uninetsvhi ale tsunadeyonvhi? nasgi tlesdi tsasvnilvi; tlesdi usdiunvtsagvgi; tlesdi tsayidolvgi;

[NOTE:  verse 21 is continuing the rhetorical question that was begun in verse 20]

Now- that would be -- using the old Big Cove Dialect--

Colossians 2:21
(Touch not; taste not; handle not;
ᎪᎶᏏ ᎠᏁᎯ ᎨᎪᏪᎳᏁᎸᎯ 2:21
(ᏴᏫ ᎤᏂᏁᏨᎯ ᏃᎴ [ᎠᎴ] ᏧᎾᏕᏲᏅᎯ? ᎾᏍᎩ ᏤᏍᏗ ᏣᏒᏂᎸᎩ; ᏤᏍᏗ ᎤᏍᏗᎤᏅ ᏣᎬᎩ; ᏤᏍᏗ ᏣᏱᏙᎸᎩ;
go-lo-si a-ne-hi ge-go-we-la-ne-lv-hi 2:21
(Yv-wi u-ni-ne-tsv-hi a-le tsu-na-de-yo-nv-hi? na-s-gi tse-s-di tsa-sv-ni-lv-gi; tse-s-di u-s-di-u-nv tsa-gv-gi; tse-s-di tsa-yi-do-lv-gi;
golosi anehi gegowelanelvhi 2:21

(yvwi uninetsvhi ale tsunadeyonvhi? nasgi tsesdi tsasvnilvi; tsesdi usdiunvtsagvgi; tsesdi tsayidolvgi;

Comparing in this way may help you to use more resources in your language learning.

Written documents- no matter which document- become easier to use in the dialect YOU have chosen to study/use when you know this little "trick" for swapping out the spelling/pronunciation.

Just be careful of the words that the Seminary years changed their spelling and you will be fine (you can look at the original Gritt's list and see what those words are).

Having more written resources to study and learn from can only be beneficial to all of us as students.

So don't let a documents use/choice of dialect stop you from learning from it.

You now know an important way to adjust for the dialect you wish to learn and use.

Thursday, July 13, 2017

En Espanol!

Someone contacted us and as a reminder, requested a re-post of the link to the Bilingual Cherokee/Spanish website.

That site is under construction still but here is the link as requested:

https://sites.google.com/site/bibliaencheroqui/


And of course, we always need volunteers for this project and others.

To help,

simply select the website page you wish to work on.

Copy the URL of that page onto wordpad or notepad and also copy the website selection's information to wordpad or notepad and compare the words to an original source document such as a printed Cherokee Bible and either a KJV English Bible or, in the case of the Spanish page, the Reina-Valera (1960).

You can find those online at Biblegateway.

Once you have copied the website selection onto notepad or wordpad, make corrections that are needed.

After you make corrections, please

help us to know which -of any-- corrections needed with a highlighted text color and copy that text into an email and send to our email address along with a copy of the URL of that particular page you are making corrections to for us.

That's all there is to it!



Friday, July 07, 2017

Seminar Availability 2017

Siyo!

A cancellation has opened up a place in our summer schedule.

July 20 & 21 are available for a 2 day language & culture seminar.
(Thursday/Friday 2017)

There are 2 course options:

--If you have never held one of our seminars, we suggest the first of the series which is a 2 day course is designed to set Cherokee Second Language Learners on the right path for success in speaking.

--If you have participated in one of our introductory seminars, we now offer a second seminar that brings the speaker further into the language as well as provides necessary instruction for participants to begin teaching others.

The suggested minimum donation for this 2 day seminar is $800 and a request for additional provided lodging, meals and travel costs. (lodging and meals are requested for the evening prior and throughout the seminar).

This will generally be for one person and no more than 2 of our staff volunteers will ever be presenting.

We generally receive more for a 2 day seminar, but since a non-refundable deposit accompanied this time slot, we are offering this for the remaining amount, which may make it more affordable for your group this year.

Contact us for more information if you are interested in scheduling this time for your own.
888.743.7775
tsasuyed (at@) gmail 
(replace that email address with proper format in order to send email; this format shown helps us to slow down the spammers a tad)

That time does not fit your group's schedule?  We still have some unfilled summer timeslots left --but not very many.

Adsense complained my blog has too much Cherokee!

Google believes my blog is PRIMARILY in the CHEROKEE language rather than in English.
oh, if only that were true!
Sadly, most of my blog is in English.
I have explained that my blog does explain Cherokee language but is primarily in ENGLISH.
I may need to find another venue once they are done reviewing my posts.

I will notify everyone if I need to switch, when /if that happens.

PS-- apparently, google thought my blog was actually in some arabic language but we are trying to straighten this out.

Notating Ordinals

Siyo!

Have you wondered about making abbreviations in Cherokee?

What?  No one told you that Cherokee HAS abbreviations?

Well, it DOES.
Very many in fact.

To get us started in thinking of abbreviated Cherokee, lets look at the simplest form of these:

Ordinal numbers.

I don't know about you, but learning ordinals in English took a minute or two to wrap my head around.

Remember, we learned these in Kindergarten/ First grade, which means they are so easy for us now we may have forgotten that struggle, but believe me, it was a "thing" for most young scholars.

English bounces around a bit in ordinals, and those learning it find the

 "-st", "-rd", and "-th" a tough concept to navigate.  But they are not so important in English that you couldn't just leave them off and be understood.

Cherokee is NOT that way.  You must NOT leave these out.

In Cherokee, Ordinals are more important than they are in English.

More on that later.

What I want to stress today is how to notate the ordinal in Cherokee.

I find that the system of switching from writing it out is much easier in Cherokee than it is in English.

In Cherokee, most writers/speakers use the Arabic number followed by either "-" or "-".

That's it!

Just learn to say the Cherokee Ordinal number correctly in your dialect of Cherokee and add either  "-" or "-".

Here's a hint:  only 1st (or 1) uses the "-Ᏹ " !


Here is the full image:



To see the larger picture, click on this image below:

























Ok

now that you know HOW to use them, how about from now on, replacing all your English ordinal notations with Cherokee ordinal notation?

Save the language.

use it!