Beginning Cherokee

by Ruth Bradley Holmes, Betty Sharp Smith

This book, the first of its kind, teaches the rudiments of Cherokee, which is the native tongue of about 20,000 Americans, although most of those who speak it use it only as a second language. Cherokee has had several recognized dialects in the past. The two main dialects today are the North Carolina, spoken on the Qualla Reservation by about 3,000 persons, and the Oklahoma, or Western, which is a consensus of the different ways of speech among the Cherokees mingled there after their removal from the East in the 1830's. This book uses the Oklahoma dialect.

Genres: Language, Linguistics, Nonfiction

332 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1976

Reviews

[Theresa · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am continuely always reading this one! Still not great at speaking.

[Charles · Rating 4 out of 5]

It appears to be the best book of it kind, which is not saying much as Cherokee language learning books are rare and inadequate, I will probably be reading this book for a long time.

[Todd · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good introduction to the Western Cherokee Dialect.

[America Meredith]

One of the very few Cherokee language publications with practical words and sentences one might actually use. Complete sentences, not just word lists!