Sound Rules in Cherokee: An important part of learning Cherokee deals with understanding when certain sounds are changed,

deleted, or moved. This kind of thing happens quite frequently in Cherokee, and to speak Cherokee accurately, it is useful to learn some of the basic sound rules that occur in the language. By knowing these rules, you can create the proper form without the aid of a speaker. The sound rules given here represent more common ideas, and there are many more that are not provided in this very brief sketch. The rules you see here are not given in any particular order, but there are a few that are more important in terms of their frequency. /agi-/ I becomes /ak-/ before the consonants /t/, /d/, and /s/ (verbs, nouns, adjectives, adverbs) /ak-tvdasdi/ Im listening /ak-sganoli/ Im slow /ts-tvdasdi/ Youre listening /ts-sganoli/ Youre slow /ak-dlvga/ Im sick /ak-sdayvhvsgi/ My wife /ts-dlvga/ Youre sick /ts-sdayvhvsgi/ Your wife /ak-tadegia/ Im thirsty /ak-sgwadvi/ Im finished /ak-tsgwalvtvi/ My ankle /ak-sgwanikdi/ Im interesting

/ja-/ You becomes /ts-/ before the consonants /t/, /d/, and /s/ (verbs, nouns, adjectives, adverbs) /ts-tadegia/ Youre thirsty /ts-sgwadvi/ Youre finished /ts-sgwanikdi/ Youre interesting /ts-tsgwalvtvi/ Your ankle

/iji-/ You all becomes /ijch-/ before the consonant /t/ /ijch-tvdasdi/ You all are listening /ijch-tadegia/ You all are thirsty /u-/ S/he deletes the vowel /a/ on any word (verbs, nouns, adjectives, adverbs) /u-aduli/ S/he wants it /u-adegi/ Pitcher Verb Doing /ni-g-advneha/ I /h-n-advneha/ You /n-advneha/ S/he /u-adanhta/ S/he is feeling /u-atana/ big Verb Saying /ni-ji-wea/ I /h-ni-wea/ You /ni-ga-wea/ S/he /u-anhta/ S/he knows /u-adanhti/ friendly /j-u-adehloqwasdi/ His/Her school Negation & Movement /h-ega/ You are going /tla h-y-ega/ You are not going /h-w-ena/ Go (away from me) /tlas h-yi-gohwtiha/ You dont see it?

/hi-/ You Set A Form moves when any of the prefixes of /yi-/, /wi-/, or /ni-/ are put in front of it.

/ji-/ Past Time Marker and /hi-/ You Set A combine to make /ch-/; the two prefixes must be next to each other for this to happen /Gado chelisge?/ What did you think? with /ji-/ and /h-/ making /ch-/ on /ch-elisge/ You thought /Eligwu hyena chada/ You can go you said with /ji-/ and /h-/ making /ch-/ on /chada/ You said /Kohiigas ji-de-h-anelohvga?/ Did you play? where /de-/ is between /ji-/ and /h-/ so they DO NOT combine

/di-/ Plural Command marker deletes /a-/ S/he Set A Pronoun and the initial vowel /a-/ of /ani-/ Set A Pronoun /di-aktosda/ Let him/her watch them /di-anaktosda/ Let them watch them /di-agowata/ Let him/her see them /di-anigowata/ Let them see them

*Note that this ONLY deletes /a-/ if its the pronoun marker; if the vowel /a-/ is part of the verb, /a-/ does NOT delete on the s/he. However, since the Set A Pronoun /ani-/ They uses /a/ as part of its form, this will always be deleted on all forms. /d-ahltaduga/ Let him/her jump /ji-/ Past Time Marker becomes /ju-/ before the prefix /wi-/ /ju-weda/ S/he went there /ju-w-geda/ I went there /tla yu-w-jiluhgi/ I didnt get there /ju-waniluhgi/ They got there /tla yu-w-gena/ I didnt go there /yu-wena/ If she went /wi-/ motion distance marker becomes just /w-/ when /ji-/ Past Time Marker or /yi-/ conditional marker precede it /yi-/ Conditional Marker becomes /yu-/ before the prefix /wi-/ /a/ and /a/ will combine to make one sound /v/; this occurs when any prefix ending with /a/ is next to a prefix that begins with /a/ or a verb stem beginning with /a/ - the three pronoun prefixes this happens with are /a/ S/he Set A, /ani-/ They Set A, and /agi-/ (or /agw-/) Set B; it also occurs in normal speech when one word ends in /a/ and the next word begins in /a/ /tla yi-g-v-ga/ S/he cant eat it /ga-/ prefix and /a/ S/he Set A Pronoun Prefix - /ga-a-/ = /g-v-/ /tla yi-g-v-ni-gowata/ They cant see it with /ga-/ prefix and /ani-/ They Set A Pronoun Prefix - /ga-ani-/ = /g-v-ni-/ /g-v-gw-alenhdi gaisvi/ since I started walking with /ga-/ prefix and /agw-/ I Set B Pronoun Prefix - /ga-agw-/ = /g-v-gw-/ /utan v-chuja/ big boy with /a/ on end of /utan-a/ combining with initial /a/ on /a-chuja/ to make /v/ /de-/ Plural Marker becomes /di-/ after the prefix /wi-/ /widijigi/ I got those things Verb Doing /h-n-advga/ Do it Negation /yi-/, /ni-/ /yi-h-nadvga/ You can do it /widigutagi/ I went and picked those things up Pluralization /de-/, /ni-/ /ni-de-h-advga/ You did them Movement /wi-/, /ni-/ /wi-h-n-advga/ Go and do it /yi-/, /wi-/, & /ni-/ /yu-w-h-n-advga/ /yi-/, /di-/, /wi-/, & /ni-/ /yu-w-ni-t-advga/ /hi-/ You Set A Form patterns when various prefixes /yi-/, /wi-/, /ni-/, /de-/, and /di-/ are used on the SAME verb. /d-asega/ Let him/her count /di-n-ahltaduga/ (di-an-ahltaduga) Let them jump /di-n-asega/ (di-an-asega) Let them count

You can go and do it You can go and do them

In addition, there are a few forms that you should know in terms of sounds that drop from certain forms of verbs. Although there are sound rules in effect for these forms, the sound rules become complicated for various reasons. Because of these complications, it is easier to just remember the forms as they are pronounced rather than identify the sound rules in play. /nandvneha/ They are doing it *In this form, the /a/ of the verb is dropped, /n-an-a-dvneha/. /unduliha/ They want it *In this form, the /a/ of the verb is dropped, /un-a-duliha/. /oginduliha/ S/he and I want it * In this form, the /a/ of the verb is dropped, /ogin-a-duliha/. Finally, there are those forms that have slight differences between the I and S/he form on Set A verbs. dega-li-tadega I am jumping ga-li-tli I am running gade-l-oqwaa I am learning ga-li-kisohdiha I am practicing ga-li-sgia I am dancing ji--lahvsga I am placing it on go-li-ga I understand gadia I am saying gvdia I am using it gohlvsga I am making it guteha I am picking it up ji-li-nohehdi I am talking to him/her ji--watvhdidoha I am visiting him/her ji-ga-tosdi I am watching it h-atvdasda You listen (Command) da-hl-tadega S/he is jumping a-tli S/he is running ade-hl-oqwaa S/he is learning a-l-kisohdiha S/he is practicing a-l-sgia S/he is dancing a-h-lahvsga S/he is placing it on go-hl-ga S/he understands adi-h-a S/he is saying k-diha S/he is using it gohlvsga S/he is making it guteha S/he is picking it up a-hl-nohehdi S/he is talking to him/her a-h-watvhidoha S/he is visiting him/her aktosdi S/he is watching it */-li-/ vs /-hl-/ */-li-/ vs /--/ */-l-/ vs /-hl-/ */-li-/ vs /-l-/ */-li-/ vs /-l-/ */--/ vs /-h-/ */-li-/ vs /-hl-/ */--/ vs /-h-/ */gv-/ vs /k-/ and /--/ vs /-h-/ *Same except for Tone on /go-/ *Same except for Tone on /gu-/ */-li-/ vs /-hl-/ */--/ vs /-h-/ */-ga-/ vs /ak-/

ts-tvdasda You listened (Past Tense) *Set A /h-/ on Command vs Set B /ts-/ on Past