In the 1820s, an American Indian named Sequoyah brought literacy to the Cherokee using the English alphabet—but he didn't know which letters made which sounds. The result was quite a jumble compared to modern English, but oddly enough it caught on locally and in Liberia. Take a trip to northern New York and unlearn everything you know about the alphabet. Presented by John McWhorter Learn more about American languages at wondrium.com/youtube 0:00 McWhorter Discovers Iroquoian Through Fingerlake Wine 1:33 Cherokee Writing System Keeps Language Alive 3:00 Sequoyah Creates First Iroquoian Writing System 5:08 Sequoyah´s Cherokee Alphabet Success Reaches Liberia 6:34 Iroquoian Languages Share a Unique Attribute 7:55 Prefixes Reveal Disparate Languages To Be a Family 14:26 Tanoan Language Kiowa Exhibits Bizarre Vocabulary 17:17 Colonialism Degrades Early American Languages 18:25 Gros Ventre Example Displays Proof of Degradation 22:07 Constructive Breakdown of Languages Create Pidgins 25:00 Pidgins Pop Up Across The Colonial US 26:13 Pidgin Becomes Standard Communication With Outsiders ------------------------------------------- The Great Courses is the global leader in lifelong learning and our video-on-demand service The Great Courses Plus gives you unlimited, uninterrupted access to a world of learning anytime and anywhere you want it. With courses on thousands of topics, you are sure to find something that will ignite your curiosity and invigorate your passion for learning. Enjoy a curated sampling of our full catalog of content by subscribing to our YouTube channel. We add new history, science, and math videos every week. ------------------------------------------- Read articles from the smartest experts in their fields: www.Thegreatcoursesdaily.com Find us on all our social channels: -Facebook: www.facebook.com/wondrium -Twitter: twitter.com/wondrium -Instagram: www.instagram.com/wondrium ------------------------------------------- #LanguageOriginators #Cherokee #Alphabet

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