Asking for an item or individual in Cherokee is a highly specific practice. The choice of words depends greatly on the object or individual requested. When asking for the location of a specific place, statements are modified differently then when asking for an individual. As there are no punctuation marks in the written syllabary, the question is determined by the phrases used by the writer. In spoken form, statements are turned into questions through changes in tone and inflection. The following examples will demonstrate the different ways in which Cherokee speakers ask for specific items or individuals.
Asking Directions
There are a variety of ways to ask for the location of a place of business. Generally, these questions will follow the same pattern—word order and sentence structure deviating only in certain instances. Here are some of the common directional questions as they appear in Cherokee.
ka;-la (Where is it?)
i-nv-hi-sgo (How far is it?)
hi-la yu-tli-lo-da (How many mile to?)
ha-dlv yi-tsi-wa-dv (Where can I find?)
The placement of words is of vital import when constructing these sentences.
TJ: tsu-na-l(i)-sda y(v)-ti-yi (Restaurant, I see it)
Alicia: ha:-la (Where is it?)
TJ: a-g(a)-ti-si-sgo (To the right)
Alicia: si-quu ha:-la (Again, where is it?)
TJ: a-g(a)-ti-si-sgo ga-di-a (To the right, I said)
In this scenario, Alicia and TJ are searching for a restaurant. TJ sees their destination on the right, but it is just out of Alicia’s visual range. Alicia asks for clarification and TJ repeats the location of the elusive restaurant. Having finished their lunch, the wayward travelers realize that their vehicle is dangerously low on fuel. Neither is aware of the location of a gas station and both fear they will soon stall. As fate would have it, a Police Officer is standing at the end of the road.
Alicia: ha-tlv go-tlv ge-sa-li:-ni ge-ne-gi-sdi-i (Where is the gas station?)
Officer: a-g(i)-ska-ni de-gi-n(i)-di-sgv-i Turn left at the cross road)
Alicia: hi-la yu-tli-lo-da (How many miles is it?)
Officer: su-da-li yu-tli-lo-da (Six miles)
TJ: ha-la-yv a-ni-sdu-hv-sgo-i (What time do they close?)
Officer: sgo-hi a-tli-gi-li (Ten o'clock)
Alicia: wa-do (Thank you)
Asking for Individuals
The rules change slightly when asking for individuals by their profession. In Cherokee, asking for a doctor is different from asking for a doctor’s office or a hospital.
tsu-ni-lv-gv?-i (Hospital)
a-ga-na-g(v)?-ti (Doctor)
di-da-sto-ti-yi (Baber Shop)
di-da-sto-sgi (Barber)
Notice to difference between doctor and hospital. While similar, these words are modified slightly. The same is true with barber and barber shop. When asking for one of these individuals, Cherokee speakers use different phraseology.
ha-dla yi-tsi-wa-dv a-ga-na-g(v)?-ti (Where can I find a doctor?)
ha-dla yi-tsi-wa-dv da-qua-le-la o-sda i-di-gv-ne-hi (Where can I find a mechanic?)
ha-dla yi-tsi-wa-dv di-qua-li-si Where can I find a Policeman?)
Sources:
English/Cherokee Dictionary Online. http://www.wehali.com/tsalagi/
Michael Garrett. Walking on the Wind. (Rochester:Bear and Company Publishing, 1998).
Ruth Bradley Holmes and Betty Sharp Smith. Beginning Cherokee. (Norman; University of Oklahoma Press, 1977).
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