Let's start with a little history. In 1980 it was estimated that the Cherokee language had about 26,000 speakers. Now, the estimate is 10,000 for Western Cherokee, and 2,000 for Eastern Cherokee, a total of only 12,000. The number of speakers declined by half in less than forty years. The UN considers Western Cherokee to be "definitely endangered," and Eastern Cherokee to be "extremely endangered." I've seen this movie before, and I know how it ends.
James Mooney, who grew up among the Cherokee and reported on their history and mythology for the Bureau of American Ethnology, said that "You don't speak Cherokee unless you speak it from the cradle." I've studied many languages, including several Amerindian languages, and Cherokee is the most complex language I've ever studied. Even immersion programs for children are not saving the language, and those who think so are kidding themselves,
Udugi (Udugi means "hope" in Cherokee) is a constructed language, based on Cherokee vocabulary and a very simple, Esperanto-like grammar. Anyone who wants to, at any age, can learn it. There are people, especially in the US, Germany, and France, who are doing just that.
So that explains why I constructed the language and began to use it. I wanted to save at least the vocabulary of the Cherokee language. But a funny thing happened. I fell in love with the language that I had given birth to. Now nothing will stop me from writing original poetry and prose in Udugi, and translating to and from the language.
I hope this answers the question for everyone.
