Our first week’s goal was simple: learn to ‘hear’ sounds pronounced by Cherokee speakers. Our class spent time with our language helpers, played memory games with household objects, and practiced key phrases over and over (such as ‘oh-see-yo’, which means ‘hello’ in English). We’ve learned new names for many things, and Cherokee phrases have become part of everyday conversations.
My teammates Brian, Lincoln and I had an additional advantage: our language helper Jerry is the pastor of a local church! Three hours each Sunday in Cherokee-language services have really helped us distinguish the individual sounds! We’ve greatly enjoyed meeting the people of Olive Baptist, and becoming part of their church family.
Going into the second week, our goals have changed. Now, our first task is to record and double-check for accuracy the names of 250 individual objects. What’s more, our second goal is to add several others kinds of words to our vocabulary (such as numbers, colors, time words, and words which reverse meaning)… while also finding every possible way to say verbs like ‘pick up’, ‘smile’, and ‘paint!’ In other words, we’re going full speed and there’s no looking back!
As I and my teammates keep plugging away, please keep us in prayer! The specific request I’ll make in this area is for consistency. Despite our practice, there are still so many unfamiliar sounds… yet it’s less important that we write everything down correctly, so long as we are consistent in the mistakes we make. Please pray that God keeps us leaning on Him, that we remain focused and encouraged… and that if we must make mistakes, we keep making the same mistakes (in the same way!) over and over again. 🙂