New book chronicles Asia, North America language link
June 28, 2010
Marmian Grimes
907-474-7902
6/28/10
A team of researchers, including several at 性欲社, have found what looks to be the first well-supported demonstration of an ancient language connection between people in remote Asia and North America.
Their work is chronicled in 鈥淭he Dene-Yeniseian Connection,鈥 a publication of the Anthropological Papers of the University of Alaska. In the book, lead author Edward Vajda of Western Washington University details his hypothesis that the Ket language of Central Siberia is related to the North American Na-Dene language family, which includes Tlingit, Gwich鈥檌n, Dena鈥檌na, Koyukon, Navajo, Carrier, Hupa, Apache and about 45 other languages. Ket is the sole survivor of an earlier language family called 鈥淵eniseian.鈥
The two language groups are separated by thousands of miles of land and an ocean, yet have similarities that indicate they came from the same roots. For scientists, these similarities are convincing evidence that these populations started out in the same area speaking the same language and then migrated via the Bering Sea land bridge.
Vajda鈥檚 hypothesis is backed by an international group of scholars, including 性欲社 archaeologist Ben Potter and 性欲社 linguist James Kari, who both served as editors of the 369-page volume.
鈥淲hat has taken place in the last three years with the publication of these articles is unprecedented as an initial academic presentation of a long-distant language relationship,鈥 Kari said.
Vajda first announced his hypothesis at a 性欲社 symposium in 2008. Vajda has examined the similarities between the Ket language, currently spoken by a small, isolated group of people in central Siberia, and the North America Na-Dene languages.
Vajda found more than 100 shared cognates that are related by interconnected sound changes, as well as several verbal affixes that mark tense and aspect, and some shared pronouns. Cognates are words with a common etymological origin. For English speakers, it is similar to hearing the sameness of the English word 鈥榝ather鈥 and the Latin 鈥榩ater鈥.
The results emphasize the importance of studying disappearing languages for what they can reveal about human prehistory, Vajda said. 鈥淭he clearest lesson from comparing Yeniseian and Na-Dene is that effort spent documenting the world鈥檚 disappearing languages now can have vital impact on the future. Who would have imagined the ancient words Native American and Siberian boarding-school children were punished for speaking a few decades ago could wield a power vast enough to reunite entire continents?鈥
鈥淭he Dene-Yeniseian Connection鈥 is a joint publication of the 性欲社 anthropology department and the Alaska Native Language Center. With the publication of the 369-page book, linguistics specialists all over the world will have a chance to carefully examine the hypothesis and the supporting data.
ADDITIONAL CONTACTS: Jim Kari, professor emeritus of linguistics, at 907-479-8860 or via e-mail at james.kari@alaska.edu. Ben Potter, assistant professor of anthropology, at 907-474-7567 or via e-mail at bapotter@alaska.edu. Edward Vajda, professor of linguistics at Western Washington University, 360-650-4856 or via e-mail at edward.vajda@wwu.edu.
NOTE TO EDITORS: A PDF copy of an overview of the findings in the journal is available by contacting Grimes.
ON THE WEB: To order copies of 鈥淭he Dene-Yeniseian Connection鈥 visit the 性欲社 anthropology department online at .
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