Mooney - Myths of the Cherokee

The Cherokee language has the continental vowel sounds a, e, i, and u, but lacks o , which is replaced by a deep . The obscure or short 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 (see p. 188, Dialects).

a as in far.

as in what, or obscure as in showman.

as in law, all.

d medial (semisonant), approximating t.

e as in they.

e as in net.

g medial (semisonant), approximating k.

h as in hat.

i as in pique.

i 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 place of l in Lower dialect.

s as in sin.

t as in top.

u as in rule.

as in cut.

nasalized.

w as in wit.

y as in you. a slight aspirate, sometimes indicating the omission of a vowel.

A number of English words, with cross references, have been introduced into the glossary, and these, together with corrupted Cherokee forms, are indicated by small capitals.

adl nst a staff or cane.

adantasoul.

adaweh a magician or supernatural being.

adawehiyua very great magician; intensive form of ada weh .

g n groundhog.

g nsttaGroundhog-sausage, from g n , groundhog, and tsist , I am pounding it, understood to refer to pounding meat, etc., in a mortar, after having first crisped it before the fire. A war chief noted in the Cherokee war of 1760, and prominent until about the close of the Revolution; known to the whites as Oconostota. Also the Cherokee name for Colonel Gideon Morgan of the war of 1812, for Washington Morgan, his son, of the Civil war, and now for full-blood upon the reservation, known to the whites as Morgan Calhoun.

g n-units Groundhogs-mother, from g n and uni ts , their mother, plural of uts , his mother ( ets , agits , my mother). The Cherokee name of a Shawano captive, who, according to tradition, killed the great Uktena serpent and procured the Ulst .

Agawela Old Woman, a formulistic name for corn or the spirit of corn.

ag ylifor ag ylige , old, ancient.

agidt see ed t .

agidut see edu t .

Agil He is rising, possibly a contraction of an old personal name, Agin -agil , Rising-fawn. Major George Lowrey, cousin of Sequoya, and assistant chief of the Cherokee Nation about 1840. Stanley incorrectly makes it Keeth-la, or Dog (for gil .)

aginis see eni s .

agis female, applied usually to quadrupeds.

Agis-egwaGreat Female, possibly Great Doe. A being, probably an animal god, invoked in the sacred formulas.

agits see ets .

Agitstatiy Where they stayed up all night, from tsigits tih , I stay up all night. A place in the Great Smoky range about the head of Noland creek, in Swain county, North Carolina. See notes to number 100.

AGUAQUIRISee GUAQUILI.

h lunaAmbush, h lun yi, Ambush place, or Uni h lu na, Where they ambushed, from