Talk:Sequoyah
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[edit] Discussion for changes made 25 Sep 2004
The changes may be disputed. The four subsections below discuss those changes. If we can reach a consensus, I'll be glad to make the appropriate corrections. CPret 05:03, 25 Sep 2004 (UTC)
[edit] Meaning of Sequoyah "A Real Pig"?
An editor of the article has stated, perhaps not really intending to denigrate Sequoyah, that Sequoyah means in Cherokee, "A real pig". Isn't the etymology more correctly "having pig-like features" or "resembling a pig" and generally thought to refer to Sequoyah's crippled foot? CPret 05:03, 25 Sep 2004 (UTC)
The etymology of the name as "a real pig" is correct. The -ya'i suffix refers to an exemplar of a group. Another example of this is the word for "Native American" which is anvwiya'i, for "real person", or "most person-like person." If there is a better way of wording it feel free to use it. It's not intended to denigrate him at all, though the folk explanation I have heard from several Cherokees was that the name derived from the fact that he ignored his wife while he was working on the syllabary. To say "resembling a pig" or piggish would be a different derivation of the word sikhwa. 13:00, 6 Nov 2004 (UTC)
[edit] Did Sequoyah invent the awesome awesome awesome Cherokee syllabary?
Is there any serious consideration that Sequoyah did not invent the Cherokee syllabary? The Cherokee Council as early as 1825, declared "... Cherokee characters, the invention of George Guist, a Cherokee." I would tend to rely on the records made contemporary to the events. CPret 05:03, 25 Sep 2004 (UTC)
[edit] Is this a picture of Sequoyah?
The picture is from a lithograph from "The History of the Indian Tribes of North America" by McKinney and Hall, where the subject is identified as SE-QUO-YAH. The McKinney and Hall books are generally considered authoritative, and, in any case, the artist would have known the identity of his subject. CPret 05:03, 25 Sep 2004 (UTC)
[edit] Link to Tell Them They Lie
I moved the link, Excerpts from Tell Them They Lie, here for discussion. The link is to a partial transcript of "Tell Them They Lie: The Sequoyah Myth" by Traveller Bird, 1971. I believe the purported facts in this book and the authenticity of the author were discredited years ago and the book determined to be a work of fiction. Any proof to the contrary would be appreciated. CPret 05:03, 25 Sep 2004 (UTC)
[edit] Sequoyah and Sequoia
Some disputes seem to be present among botanists about whether Sequoyah was source for name of Sequoia tree. Apparently even as eminent an authority as Asa Gray has questioned the link, and the namer of Sequoia (Endlicher, 1847), left no notes to explain his choice of name. Web link may not persist, but is here: http://www.conifers.org/cu/se/index.htm. This web article makes formal citation here: Hartesveldt, Richard J.; Harvey, H. Thomas; Shelhammer, Howard S.; Stecker, Ronald E. 1975. The giant sequoia of the Sierra Nevada. Washington DC: National Park Service. An engaging but professional (if a bit dated) treatment of the largest conifer.
[edit] Cursive Form
I have heard that there is/was a cursive form of the syllabary. I can very well believe that people found the illustraated characters difficult to reproduce quickly enough to write fluently, and therefor a cursive form must have existed. Can anyone help with information about this, and a sample of the cursive form? Too Old 15:40, 7 December 2005 (UTC)
Osiyo! I studied the Cherokee language a little, some years ago. According to my textbook (which I will attempt to locate and cite), the original form, as written by Sequoyah, was cursive, indeed very loopy, with a very thin line; an illustration of it is included in the textbook. This was the form that was originally demonstrated to the council. The cursive form proved unsuitable for printing at the time, so new shapes were devised (partly by reusing all or parts of existing type). My memory is that the textbook credits Samuel Worcester for part (or all?) of the work of creating the final shapes. Although the shapes that we use today are not solely Sequoyah's work, the essence of the syllabary, the organization of Cherokee spoken sound into written form, will forever remain his gift to us, and a testament to his genius, so long as people study and revere language. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 128.9.128.193 (talk) 04:50, 10 January 2008 (UTC)
