The Kituwah dialect is one of the two surviving Cherokee dialects to remain
in use today. It is less common than the Overhill or Western Dialect, isolated
primarily to the Qualla Reservation in North Carolina. The difference in the
two dialects are not that great, and anyone who can speak one, should have
little or no difficulty in understanding the other.
On this cassette, you'll hear the fundamentals of the Cherokee language,
from Marie Junaluska, one who speaks, reads and writes in Cherokee. Marie is a
direct descendent of Chief Tsali. She was born in Swain Co., Cherokee, NC, to
Guy and Margaret R. Lambert of Wolf Town Community. Marie has taught Cherokee
to Elementary, high school and adult students. In 1981 she was appointed
interpreter for the Cherokee Tribal Council.
The booklet contains the Cherokee Syllabary, and useful words and
phrases in both English and Cherokee, with complete phonetic pronunciation.
This is not meant to be a full course, but is intended to act as a quick
introduction and overview for those wishing to learn some basic Cherokee, or
as a supplement to another course. If you are looking for a more intensive
course, I highly recommend "Cherokee Made Easy" or "Beginning Cherokee".
