This book, the first of its kind, teaches the rudiments of Cherokee, which is the native tongue of about 20,000 Americans, although most of those who speak it use it only as a second language. Cherokee has had several recognized dialects in the past. The two main dialects today are the North Carolina, spoken on the Qualla Reservation by about 3,000 persons, and the Oklahoma, or Western, which is a consensus of the different ways of speech among the Cherokees mingled there after their removal from the East in the 1830's. This book uses the Oklahoma dialect.

Recent increased interest has created a demand for Amerindian language courses. Many Cherokees who ignored past opportunities to learn the language from their families are now regretting the loss. Parents who once believed that such knowledge would only be a disadvantage to their children have changed their minds. Youths who have now concluded that their ancestors had much to offer are anxious to investigate the language for themselves. Those who do not have time to spare for organized study would often like to have a convenient source book on the Cherokee language and its syllabary. Beginning Cherokee was written to fill these needs. It will help everyone who uses this book, whether Cherokee or not, to understand that Indian tribes are contemporary people with an enduring heritage. The Cherokee language frames an outlook and an intellect that can contribute much to civilization in the future, as it has in the past.

The Four Gospels and Selected Psalms in Cherokee is a companion to the Cherokee syllabary New Testament. Written by Sequoyah in the nineteenth century, the syllabary New Testament is the largest complex text composed in Cherokee by a truly fluent speaker with an easy command of the language. Here for the first time the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John are presented in Cherokee using the English alphabet. With line breaks that follow exactly those in the syllabary New Testament, this book serves as an aid for readers seeking to deepen their understanding of the Cherokee Bible.

In her introduction to the Gospels, Ruth Bradley Holmes offers a history of the Cherokee New Testament, a detailed look both at the Cherokee syllabary and at the process of transliterating a Cherokee text into the English alphabet, and information on tones, vowel length, and other intricacies of the Cherokee language. Also included is the Lord's Prayer. This prayer is presented first in English, then in the Cherokee syllabary, and finally in Cherokee using the English alphabet. It is accompanied by an analysis of the language structure and word definitions within the prayer.