Transcription
Cherokee Transcription
The Cherokee language has the continental vowel sounds a, e, i and u, but lacks o, which is replaced by a deep â. The obscure or short û lacks is frequently nasalized, but the nasal sound is seldom heard at the end of a word. The only labial is m, which occurs in probably not more than half a dozen words in the Upper and Middle dialects, and is entirely absent from the Lower dialect, in which w takes its place. The characteristic l of the Upper and Middle dialects becomes r in the Lower, but no dialect has both sounds. There is also an aspirated l; k and t have the ordinary sounds of these letters, but g and d are medials, approximating the sounds of k and t, respectively. A frequent double consonant is ts, commonly rendered ch by the old traders.
| a | as in far. |
| ä | as in what, or obscure as in showman. |
| â | as in law, all. |
| d | medial (semisonant), approximating t. |
| e | as in they |
| ë | as in net. |
| g | medial (semisonant), approximating k. |
| h | as in hat. |
| i | as in pique. |
| ï | as in pick. |
| k | as in kick. |
| l | as in lull. |
| `l | surd l (sometimes written hl), nearly the Welsh ll. |
| m | as in man. |
| n | as in not. |
| r | takes the place of l in Lower dialect. |
| s | as in sin. |
| t | as in top. |
| u | as in rule. |
| û | as in cut. |
| ûñ | û nasalized |
| w | as in wit |
| y | as in you |
| ` | a slight aspirate, sometimes indicating the omission of a vowel. |
{Note: the letters with umlauts have a breve in the original.}