Editing Cherokee (section)

==Language and writing system==
{{Further|Cherokee language|Cherokee syllabary}}
[[File:Sequoyah.jpg|thumb|upright|[[Sequoyah]], the inventor of the Cherokee syllabary]]
[[File:WIKITONGUES- Jerry speaking English and Cherokee.webm|thumb|A Cherokee speaker speaking English and Cherokee]]
The Cherokee speak a Southern [[Iroquoian languages|Iroquoian]] language, which is [[polysynthetic language|polysynthetic]] and is written in a [[syllabary]] invented by [[Sequoyah]] ({{lang|chr|ᏍᏏᏉᏯ}}) in the 1810s.<ref>Morand, Ann, Kevin Smith, Daniel C. Swan, and Sarah Erwin. ''Treasures of Gilcrease: Selections from the Permanent Collection.'' Tulsa, OK: Gilcrease Museum,2003. {{ISBN|0-9725657-1-X}}</ref> For years, many people wrote and transliterated Cherokee or used poor intercompatible fonts to type out the syllabary. However, since the fairly recent addition of the Cherokee syllables to [[Unicode]], the Cherokee language is experiencing a renaissance in its use on the Internet.

Because of the polysynthetic nature of the Cherokee language, new and descriptive words in Cherokee are easily constructed to reflect or express modern concepts. Examples include ''ditiyohihi'' ({{lang|chr|ᏗᏘᏲᎯᎯ}}), which means "he argues repeatedly and on purpose with a purpose," meaning "attorney." Another example is ''didaniyisgi'' ({{lang|chr|ᏗᏓᏂᏱᏍᎩ}}) which means "he catches them finally and conclusively," meaning "policeman."

Many words, however, have been borrowed from the English language, such as ''gasoline'', which in Cherokee is {{lang|chr|ga-so-li-ne}} ({{lang|chr|ᎦᏐᎵᏁ}}). Many other words were borrowed from the languages of tribes who settled in Oklahoma in the early 20th century. One example relates to a town in Oklahoma named "Nowata". The word {{lang|chr|nowata}} is a [[Delaware languages|Delaware Indian]] word for "welcome" (more precisely the Delaware word is {{lang|del|nu-wi-ta}} which can mean "welcome" or "friend" in the Delaware Language). The white settlers of the area used the name "nowata" for the township, and local Cherokees, being unaware the word had its origins in the Delaware Language, called the town ''Amadikanigvnagvna'' ({{lang|chr|ᎠᎹᏗᎧᏂᎬᎾᎬᎾ}}) which means "the water is all gone from here", i.e. "no water".

Other examples of borrowed words are {{lang|chr|kawi}} ({{lang|chr|ᎧᏫ}}) for ''coffee'' and {{lang|chr|watsi}} ({{lang|chr|ᏩᏥ}}) for ''watch'' (which led to {{lang|chr|utana watsi}} ({{lang|chr|ᎤᏔᎾ ᏩᏥ}}) or "big watch" for ''clock'').

The following table is an example of Cherokee text and its translation:

{| class="wikitable"
| style="background:#fff;"| [[Cherokee syllabary|ᏣᎳᎩ]]: ᏂᎦᏓ ᎠᏂᏴᏫ ᏂᎨᎫᏓᎸᎾ ᎠᎴ ᎤᏂᏠᏱ ᎤᎾᏕᎿ ᏚᏳᎧᏛ ᎨᏒᎢ. ᎨᏥᏁᎳ ᎤᎾᏓᏅᏖᏗ ᎠᎴ ᎤᏃᏟᏍᏗ ᎠᎴ ᏌᏊ ᎨᏒ ᏧᏂᎸᏫᏍᏓᏁᏗ ᎠᎾᏟᏅᏢ ᎠᏓᏅᏙ ᎬᏗ.<ref name="Omniglot">{{cite web |url=http://www.omniglot.com/writing/cherokee.htm |title=Cherokee syllabary |access-date=May 14, 2009 |date=1998–2009 }}</ref>
|-
| style="background:#ddd;" | [[Cherokee language|Tsalagi]]: {{lang|chr|Nigada aniyvwi nigeguda'lvna ale unihloyi unadehna duyukdv gesv'i. Gejinela unadanvtehdi ale unohlisdi ale sagwu gesv junilvwisdanedi anahldinvdlv adanvdo gvhdi.}}<ref name="Omniglot"/>
|-
| ''All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood.'' ''(Article 1 of the [[Universal Declaration of Human Rights]])''<ref name="Omniglot"/>
|}