Morphemes
Here, you will find handouts, study guides, and other learning materials focused on Cherokee morphemes--the smallest parts of speech that carry meaning. Cherokee words are formed by putting these morphemes together like little LEGO blocks--a process called "Inflection" or "Synthesis." Cherokee is called a "Polysynthetic" language because these Synthetic inflective processes are so crucial to how it creates and expresses meaning. Morphemes, as the little building blocks used in that process, are an extremely important topic of study for Cherokee language learners. You can and should study Morphemes in much the same way you would study entire vocabulary words in other languages. The pdfs available for download here are meant to help you do just that.
Please Remember: I am not a fluent speaker, I am not a certified instructor, I am not an academic linguist or language education specialist, and I am not Cherokee. All the writings here are the product of my own language learning process, and may contain mistakes. None of this is original research, and I should never be cited (in the academic sense) for the information contained in these writings. Feel free to print, distribute, repost, or share anything posted here.
Prepronomial Prefixes
Meanings, Uses, Different Names
This handout lists the Prepronomial Prefixes, the order in which they occur, the names used to describe them, and my most thorough attempt at explaining their grammatical functions. Does not contain examples.
Updated: 9/16/2025 (added Anmt.Obj. Distributive, updated formatting, add'tl notes on /ni/ and /iy/ from talks with JW)
Allomorphs and Sound Changes
This handout is meant as a guide to the different forms that can be taken by Prepronomial Prefixes and the Phonological (sound) changes they undergo. It's important to learn how to recognize the Prepronomials in all their forms.
Updated: 9/16/2025 (added Anmt.Obj. Distributive, notes from talks with JW)
Pronomial Prefixes
Pronomial Subject-Object Relationships
This handout covers every Pronomial Prefix in Cherokee, organized and grouped by Set, focusing on the specific Subject-Object pairings denoted by each Pronomial. Information is presented in a list form.
Pronomial Set Tables
This handout presents pretty much the same information as the above handout. It covers almost every Set of Pronomials in Cherokee--excluding only the Combined Local (Person-Person) Pronomials. The content is presented in a tabled format that labels every Grammatical Quality of each Pronomial alongside Subject/Object details. A little less user-friendly, but more thorough.
Idealization Categories and Processes, Exoteric and Esoteric Pronomial Paradigms
This pdf is a handout of the Tables contained in my Essay about Verb Idealization. The tables showing the two distinct Pronomial Paradigms for Exoteric and Esoteric Ideals and how they relate to Subject/Object pairings in Set A and Set B Pronomials should be especially helpful for student reference.
Tense Suffixes
Tense Suffix List
The most thorough list I could make of the various Tense Suffixes, and my best attempts at explaining their specific meanings. Does not account for Stem Forms--addresses the Tense Suffixes alone.
Root Morphemes, Particles
This is a list of what I like to call "Root Morphemes," or "Particles." These are Morphemes that are commonly found at the "Root" of verbs--Morphemes that get "stuck together" to make Verb Roots and Stems, Morphemes with specific Lexical Meanings. I update this list as I learn new Root Morphemes from JW, mostly while working on the Verb Table project. I'll be updating it regularly, so I'm keeping the list as a separate page on the website (instead of sharing it as a downloadable pdf) so it will be easier to update.