Documentation:RelLex/Cherokee Language Consortium Word List
Cherokee Language Consortium Word List
| Relational Lexicography Knowledgebase | |
|---|---|
| |
| About RelLex | |
| An index of under-resourced North American language references, including print and digital dictionaries. | |
| Browse by | |
| About the Knowledgebase | |
| Find our filterable Knowledgebase of dictionaries and lexicography technology at https://knowledgebase.arts.ubc.ca/. | |
Language Name
Cherokee.
Alternate Language Names
Tsalagi (ᏣᎳᎩ), ᏣᎳᎩ ᎦᏬᏂᎯᏍᏗ, Tsalagi Gawonihisdi, Giduwa.
Region
North Carolina, Alabama, Oklahoma, and California, United States.
Who
The Cherokee Nation, the United Keetoowah Band of Cherokee Indians, the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, Northeastern State University in Oklahoma, Western Carolina University (Cherokee Language Consortium).
Others Involved
Unnamed Cherokee Speakers; Unnamed Cherokee Language Learners.
Publishing Information
This digital resource was created and most recently updated, as of mid-2025, in 2019. It is hosted on the Cherokee Nation website on the Language Department page.
How People are Cited
Bands and institutions which make up the Cherokee Language Consortium are listed on the dictionary's description on the Cherokee Nation's website on the Language Department page. Speakers and language learners who contributed are not cited by name.
How Information is Cited
Speakers and language learners are mentioned on the dictionary's description on the Cherokee Nation's website on the Language Department page. Contributors are not listed by name.
Where is Information Coming from
Information in this dictionary comes from fluent Cherokee speakers and Cherokee language learners appointed by the three federally-recognized Cherokee tribes. Contributors meet quarterly to develop new Cherokee words and curriculum for teaching the Cherokee language. These words are documented in the Cherokee Language Consortium resource.
Tools and Framework used
This dictionary is available as a digital resource (PDF).
Access
This dictionary is open access online through the Cherokee Nation's website on the Language Department page.
Included Languages and Directionality
English to Cherokee.
Dialects Included
This dictionary contains information from the two major dialects of Cherokee: the Western (i.e., Overhill, Otali, or ᎣᏔᎵ) dialect common in Oklahoma and the Eastern (i.e., Middle, Kituwah, or ᎩᏚᏩ) dialect common in North Carolina.
Type of Dictionary
This is a bilingual, mono-directional word list.
How are Entries Organised
Entries are organized into a table and listed alphabetically by English. Each entry is a row of the table. The table includes three columns: the English head word, the Cherokee translation in the syllabary, and the romanized representation. Entries where the Cherokee differs based on dialect includes both Cherokee terms separated by a comma and identified by the dialect's abbreviation in both the syllabary and romanized columns. No other information is included in entries.
There is a brief Phrases section at the end of the resource organized in the same table format as the other entries.
Other Features
| Feature | Included | More Information |
|---|---|---|
| Guide to use and understand | ❌ | |
| Audio | ❌ | |
| Images | ❌ | |
| Example phrases | ❌ | As their own entries in the Phrases section |
| Speakers marked | ❌ | |
| Dialects marked | ✅ | By the dialect's abbreviation within entries where the dialects differ |
Other Notes
This dictionary was included in the Cherokee-English Dictionary Online Database created by the CED-Online Project Development Team.
External Links
Direct access to the open access, digital PDF Cherokee Language Consortium through the Cherokee Nation's website: https://language.cherokee.org/media/4emjgbyy/2019consortium_wordlist.pdf
Information about the creation of this resource can be found on the Language Department page of the Cherokee Nation website: https://language.cherokee.org/language-programs/cherokee-language-consortium/
An open access, online dictionary database, called the Cherokee-English Dictionary Online Database, that includes information from this dictionary can be accessed here: https://www.cherokeedictionary.net/