5 ms·

A Typeface Designed to Revive the Endangered Cherokee Language

79 points by samsolomon 11y ago

luxpir 11y ago
Nice effort on behalf of the Cherokee Nation Language Technology Office - I didn't know such a thing would exist, but I'm glad it does. Similar cultural modernisation issues abound just over the water in Ireland, although Unicode apparently regards Gaelic script as a font variant of Latin. I did notice that a font called CeltScript is linked to in the links section here [0] and has been around a good while. I can imagine the script also had an influence on Tolkien, to say the least [1]. Maybe some of the more ancient cultures of the world should come together more often, celebrate their joint heritage and influence on the world. I'd support a Celtic-First Nations powwow-ceol session, even if not many others would! -- [0] - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gaelic_type https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gaelic_type [1] - http://tolkiengateway.net/wiki/Celtic http://tolkiengateway.net/wiki/Celtic
hyperrail 11y ago
FWIW, Windows has had a built-in Cherokee font since Vista, several years before this font (2014). Windows 8 added another font and, more importantly, a partial Cherokee localization of the UI. srcs: [1] http://blogs.microsoft.com/firehose/2012/12/18/microsoft-adds-the-cherokee-language-to-windows-8/ http://blogs.microsoft.com/firehose/2012/12/18/microsoft-add... [2] http://www.cherokee.org/languagetech/en-us/windows8cherokee.aspx http://www.cherokee.org/languagetech/en-us/windows8cherokee....
Kinnard 11y ago
This is really cool! I'm a conlanger and I'd love a tutorial on creating fonts. Cherokee Wikipedia looks like it's just getting started: https://chr.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E1%8E%A4%E1%8E%B5%E1%8E%AE%E1%8E%B5%E1%8F%8D%E1%8F%97 https://chr.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E1%8E%A4%E1%8E%B5%E1%8E%AE%E...
- gliese1337 11y ago
  FontForge has a tutorial: http://designwithfontforge.com/en-US/index.html http://designwithfontforge.com/en-US/index.html There's also a basic introduction to font design in David Peterson's book: http://www.amazon.com/The-Art-Language-Invention-World-Building/dp/0143126466 http://www.amazon.com/The-Art-Language-Invention-World-Build... I've been meaning to learn how to create fonts for my own conlanging purposes for a few months now, but haven't quite gotten around to it yet.
brightball 11y ago
Would love to know if there is a way for people to learn the Cherokee language. There's a Cherokee reserve within an hour of my house and I'd love to learn the language.
- robterrell 11y ago
  This was ten years ago, but I had a company that made streaming distance learning software and one of our first customers was the Cherokee Nation, who used it for teaching the language online. It seemed to me that teaching the language was a priority. A bit of looking reveals they now publish archives on YouTube, for example: https://youtu.be/2DE691WwWac https://youtu.be/2DE691WwWac -- they do seem to get badly out of sync as they go (fact of life in flash video, with no timebase reference, dropped frames basically mean your video gets shorter.) List of archives here: http://www.cherokee.org/AboutTheNation/Language/OnlineLanguageClasses/LessonArchives.aspx http://www.cherokee.org/AboutTheNation/Language/OnlineLangua...
david-given 11y ago
Unifont supports Cherokee, BTW. U+13A0..U+13FF: http://unifoundry.com/png/plane00/uni0013.png http://unifoundry.com/png/plane00/uni0013.png U+AB70..U+ABBF: http://unifoundry.com/png/plane00/uni00AB.png http://unifoundry.com/png/plane00/uni00AB.png
microcolonel 11y ago
I have at least three Cherokee fonts on my system; wonder why they make it seem like there weren't any. "Its own font" sounds a bit patronizing.
sandGorgon 11y ago
Perhaps it makes more sense to contribute this as part of the Google Noto project that is building typefaces for lesser known languages. There is a very high chance that this will be included into Android by default, so you get the advantage of that reach.
Nutmog 11y ago
With all efforts to preserve endangered languages, there's an implicit assumption that they should be preserved in the heads of human beings. What value does this language and being able to write it have? I've heard people say "preserves the culture", but is there any concrete value to it? Does it help feed people or entertain people, or anything that English wouldn't do just as well?

79 points by samsolomon 11y ago

Nice effort on behalf of the Cherokee Nation Language Technology Office - I didn't know such a thing would exist, but I'm glad it does. Similar cultural modernisation issues abound just over the water in Ireland, although Unicode apparently regards Gaelic script as a font variant of Latin. I did notice that a font called CeltScript is linked to in the links section here [0] and has been around a good while. I can imagine the script also had an influence on Tolkien, to say the least [1]. Maybe some of the more ancient cultures of the world should come together more often, celebrate their joint heritage and influence on the world. I'd support a Celtic-First Nations powwow-ceol session, even if not many others would! -- [0] - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gaelic_type https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gaelic_type [1] - http://tolkiengateway.net/wiki/Celtic http://tolkiengateway.net/wiki/Celtic

hyperrail 11y ago

FWIW, Windows has had a built-in Cherokee font since Vista, several years before this font (2014). Windows 8 added another font and, more importantly, a partial Cherokee localization of the UI. srcs: [1] http://blogs.microsoft.com/firehose/2012/12/18/microsoft-adds-the-cherokee-language-to-windows-8/ http://blogs.microsoft.com/firehose/2012/12/18/microsoft-add... [2] http://www.cherokee.org/languagetech/en-us/windows8cherokee.aspx http://www.cherokee.org/languagetech/en-us/windows8cherokee....

Kinnard 11y ago

This is really cool! I'm a conlanger and I'd love a tutorial on creating fonts. Cherokee Wikipedia looks like it's just getting started: https://chr.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E1%8E%A4%E1%8E%B5%E1%8E%AE%E1%8E%B5%E1%8F%8D%E1%8F%97 https://chr.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E1%8E%A4%E1%8E%B5%E1%8E%AE%E...

gliese1337 11y ago
FontForge has a tutorial: http://designwithfontforge.com/en-US/index.html http://designwithfontforge.com/en-US/index.html There's also a basic introduction to font design in David Peterson's book: http://www.amazon.com/The-Art-Language-Invention-World-Building/dp/0143126466 http://www.amazon.com/The-Art-Language-Invention-World-Build... I've been meaning to learn how to create fonts for my own conlanging purposes for a few months now, but haven't quite gotten around to it yet.

brightball 11y ago

Would love to know if there is a way for people to learn the Cherokee language. There's a Cherokee reserve within an hour of my house and I'd love to learn the language.

robterrell 11y ago
This was ten years ago, but I had a company that made streaming distance learning software and one of our first customers was the Cherokee Nation, who used it for teaching the language online. It seemed to me that teaching the language was a priority. A bit of looking reveals they now publish archives on YouTube, for example: https://youtu.be/2DE691WwWac https://youtu.be/2DE691WwWac -- they do seem to get badly out of sync as they go (fact of life in flash video, with no timebase reference, dropped frames basically mean your video gets shorter.) List of archives here: http://www.cherokee.org/AboutTheNation/Language/OnlineLanguageClasses/LessonArchives.aspx http://www.cherokee.org/AboutTheNation/Language/OnlineLangua...

david-given 11y ago

Unifont supports Cherokee, BTW. U+13A0..U+13FF: http://unifoundry.com/png/plane00/uni0013.png http://unifoundry.com/png/plane00/uni0013.png U+AB70..U+ABBF: http://unifoundry.com/png/plane00/uni00AB.png http://unifoundry.com/png/plane00/uni00AB.png

microcolonel 11y ago

I have at least three Cherokee fonts on my system; wonder why they make it seem like there weren't any. "Its own font" sounds a bit patronizing.

sandGorgon 11y ago

Perhaps it makes more sense to contribute this as part of the Google Noto project that is building typefaces for lesser known languages. There is a very high chance that this will be included into Android by default, so you get the advantage of that reach.

Nutmog 11y ago

With all efforts to preserve endangered languages, there's an implicit assumption that they should be preserved in the heads of human beings. What value does this language and being able to write it have? I've heard people say "preserves the culture", but is there any concrete value to it? Does it help feed people or entertain people, or anything that English wouldn't do just as well?