Could I have written the above in Udugi? Probably not. "Clickety-clack" would probably have to be written as "tligeti-tlagi," since there are no "kl" consonant clusters in either Cherokee or Udugi. Also, I don't know the word for "hum" in Cherokee, if there is one. I'd probably have to borrow the English word, and write it as "hvnv" (in Cherokee and Udugi transcription, "v" represents a vowel that sounds like the short "u" in the English word "but"). I would not be able to write it as "hvmv," because the sign for the syllable "mv," which was considered to be unnecessary, went out of use long ago.
Interesting, no? But wait, you're in luck: there's even more! "-hv" is a suffixal question marker in both Cherokee and Udugi, similar to the English grunt "huh?" (which, however, goes back to 1608). But , in both Cherokee and Udugi, "v" is a short way of saying "yes." Cherokee's longer way, which is "v-v," is not used in Udugi, because of possible confusion with the English grunt "uh-uh."
I am amazed by the continued popularity of my blog postings in Udugi, so of course I intend to continue them.
Thank you all very much for your continued interest and enthusiasm. ᏩᏙ (wadó, thank you).
Text and image © 2019 by Donald C. Traxler.
