Cherokee/Structural Nuggets

These "structural nuggets" refer to elements in the Cherokee language categorized as units of structure, as opposed to content words like nouns, for example. As such, the words or word parts found here do not solely belong to one part of speech. These "nuggets" are like the glue holding much of the language together!

Each nugget is presented in a boldface header, followed by a line defining it. Uppercase abbreviations such as ADJ for "adjective" are used to represent variable words or word parts, while lowercase Cherokee text represents invariable elements within the nugget.

Following the definition, you may find examples.

At the bottom of each entry you may find questions whose answers are unclear to the writers of this book. We empower you to ask these questions to native speakers of Cherokee and to document the answers in the Discussion section for this page, found at the top of the screen to the right of the tab that says "Book." You are always encouraged to ask for and document other ways to express the same idea for every nugget.

Abbreviations
ADJ = adjective

S = subject

S1 = subject number 1

V = verb

V1 = verb number 1

CSP = citation for Cherokee Speech Patterns by JW Webster

ADJ + jigi
the (possibly also "a") ADJ one giígágẽ j-igi

red REL-be

the red one

CSP 22 Questions: How do you say "the red ones" or "some red ones"?

ADJ -yú
-ly

One way to form adverbs from adjectives, equivalent to the English suffix -ly, is to add -yú to the end of the adjective.

If the adjective ends in -i, the /i/ lengthens and gets a rising tone in anticipation of the high tone on the suffix -yú. uusganõli > uusganõliíyú

slow > slowly

CSP 23

S1 agvvyĩ V1 si ni- V2 -ṽna(wú) S2
S1 V1 before S2 V2

One way to express that an action happens before another action is to use this structure. maági agvvyĩ uùhnigíisééqi si núúluhjṽnawú uweej ageéhya

Mark first 3SG.B-left still without-3SG.B-arriving 3SG.B-child woman

Mark left before his daughter arrived.

CSP24