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This article is about the Native American language family. For indigenous peoples in the United States other than Hawaii and Alaska see also Native Americans in the United States. For any of the ships called "HMCS Athabaskan", see HMCS Athabaskan. Several Canadian naval units have been named HMCS Athabaskan.
Athabaskan
Athabascan, Athapascan, Athapaskan
Geographic
distribution:		 Western North America
Genetic
classification:		 Dené-Yeniseian
 Na-Dené
  Athabaskan-Eyak
   Athabaskan
Subdivisions:
ISO 639-2: ath
Pre-contact distribution of Na-Dené languages (Athabaskan + Eyak + Tlingit)

Athabaskan or Athabascan (also Athapascan or Athapaskan) is the name of a large group of closely related Native American peoples, also known as the Athabasca Indians or Athapaskes, located in two main Southern and Northern groups in western North America, and of their language family. List of language familiesA language family is a group of Languages related by descent from a common ancestor called the Proto-language of that family Dené-Yeniseian is a proposed relationship between the Yeniseian languages of central Siberia and the Na-Dené languages of northwestern North America Northern Athabaskan is a geographic sub-grouping of the Athabaskan language family spoken in the northern part of North America, particularly in Alaska Pacific Coast Athabaskan is a geographic (and possibly genetic grouping of the Athabaskan language family Southern Athabaskan (also Apachean) is a subfamily of Athabaskan languages spoken primarily in the North American Southwest (including Arizona ISO 639-2 is the second part of the ISO 639 standard, which lists codes for the representation of the names of languages For indigenous peoples in the United States other than Hawaii and Alaska see also Native Americans in the United States. The Athabaskan family is the second largest family in North America in terms of number of languages and the number of speakers, following the Uto-Aztecan family which extends into Mexico. Uto-Aztecan (also Uto-Aztekan) is a Native American Language family. In terms of territory, only the Algic language family covers a larger area. The Algic (also Algonquian-Wiyot-Yurok or Algonquian-Ritwan languages are an indigenous Language family of North America.

The word Athabaskan is an anglicized version of the Woods Cree name for Lake Athabasca (aðapaskāw, “[where] there are plants one after another”) in Canada. The term Anglo is used as a prefix to indicate a relation to the Angles, England or the English people, as in the phrases ' Anglo-Saxon ' ' Cree (also known as Cree-Montagnais Cree-Montagnais-Naskapi is the name for a group of closely-related Algonquian languages spoken by approximately 117000 people across Lake Athabasca (ˌæθəˈbæskə French lac Athabasca, from Woods Cree aðapaskāw, " there are plants one after another" is located in the Country to "Dominion of Canada" or "Canadian Federation" or anything else please read the Talk Page [1] The name was assigned by Albert Gallatin in his 1836 (written 1826) classification of the languages of North America. Abraham Alfonse Albert Gallatin (January 29 1761 &ndash August 12 1849 was a Swiss-American Ethnologist, linguist, politician, Diplomat He acknowledged that the name for these related languages was entirely his own individual preference, writing:

"I have designated them by the arbitrary denomination of Athabascas, which derived from the original name of the lake. " (1836:116-7)

Contents

Languages

The 31 Northern Athabaskan languages are spoken throughout the interior of Alaska and the interior of northwestern Canada in the Yukon and Northwest Territories as well as in the provinces of British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba. Alaska ( Аляска Alyaska) is a state in the United States of America, in the northwest of the North American continent Country to "Dominion of Canada" or "Canadian Federation" or anything else please read the Talk Page Yukon (ˈjuːkɒn is the westernmost and smallest of Canada's three territories. The Northwest Territories (ˌnɔrθˌwɛstˈtɛrɨtɔriz ( NWT or NT; French, les Territoires du Nord-Ouest) is a territory British Columbia (ˌbrɪtɨʃ kəˈlʌmbiə ( BC) ( (la Colombie-Britannique C Alberta (ælˈbɝtə is one of Canada's prairie provinces. It became a province on September 1 1905 Saskatchewan (səˈskætʃəwən) is a prairie province in Canada, which has an area of 588276 Manitoba (English ˌmænɨˈtoʊbə French /manitoba/ is a province of Canada, spanning 647797 square kilometres (250116  sq mi of North America Several Athabaskan languages are official languages in the Northwest Territories, including Dene Suline, Dogrib or Tlicho, Gwich’in, and Slavey. An official language is a Language that is given a special legal status in a particular Country, State, or other territory Dene Suline (also Dëne Sųłiné, Dene Sųłiné, Chipewyan, Dene Suliné, Dëne Suliné, Dene Soun’liné or just Dogrib (also Tłįchǫ Yatiì, jatîː is a Language spoken by the First Nations Tłįchǫ people of the Canadian territory Tłįchǫ First Nation, formerly known as the Dogrib, are a Dene Aboriginal Canadian people living in the Northwest Territories (NWT The Gwich’in language is the Athabaskan language of the Gwich’in Indigenous people. Slavey (also Slave, Slavé) (pronounced) is an Athabaskan language spoken among the Slavey First Nations of Canada

The seven Pacific Coastal Athabaskan languages are spoken in southern Oregon and northern California. Oregon ( is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. California ( is a US state on the West Coast of the United States, along the Pacific Ocean. Isolated from the northern and coastal languages, the six Southern Athabaskan languages, including the different Apache peoples and Navajo, are spoken in the American Southwest and the northwestern part of Mexico. Navajo or Navaho ( native name: Diné bizaad) is an Athabaskan language (of Na-Dené stock spoken in the southwest United States by The United Mexican States ( or commonly Mexico (ˈmɛksɪkoʊ () is a federal constitutional Republic in North America.

Eyak and Athabaskan together form a genetic grouping called Athabaskan-Eyak. Eyak is an extinct Na-Dené language that was historically spoken in southcentral Alaska, near the mouth of the Copper River. Tlingit is distantly related to this group to form the Na-Dené stock (also known as Athabaskan-Eyak-Tlingit). The Tlingit language (ˈklɪŋkɪt in English Lingít ɬɪŋkɪ́t in Tlingit is spoken by the Tlingit people of Southeast Alaska and Western

Family division

Overview

The Athabaskan language family has three main geographic groupings: Northern, Pacific Coast, and Southern. There is discussion of whether the Pacific Coast languages actually forms a valid genetic grouping. The Northern group is particularly problematic. Due to the failure of the usual criteria of shared innovation and systematic phonetic correspondences to provide well-defined subgroupings, the Athabaskan family (especially the Northern languages) has been called a "cohesive complex" by Michael Krauss (1973, 1982). Michael E Krauss (born 1934 is a linguist who has worked extensively on the Na-Dené language family especially on proto- Athabaskan, pre-proto-Athabaskan Therefore, the Stammbaumtheorie model (family tree) of genetic classification may be inappropriate. The languages of the Southern branch are much more homogeneous and are the only clearly genetic subgrouping.

Below is an outline of the family showing only the major branches of the family. This outline follows mostly the classification of Keren Rice as seen in Goddard (1996) and Mithun (1999).

  1. Southern Alaska
  2. Central Alaska-Yukon
  3. Northwestern Canada
  4. Tsetsaut
  5. Central British Columbia
  6. Sarsi
  7. Kwalhioqua-Tlatskanai
  8. Pacific Coast Athabaskan
  9. Apachean

Branches 1-7 are the Northern Athabaskan (areal) grouping. Kwalhioqua-Tlatskanai (#7) has often been considered part of the Pacific Coast grouping, but a recent consideration by Krauss does not find it very similar to these languages.

A different classification by Jeff Leer is the following (Tuttle & Hargus 2004:72-74):

  1. Alaskan (Ahtna, Dena’ina, Deg Hit’an, Koyukon, Kolchan, Lower Tanana, Tanacross, Upper Tanana, Gwich’in, Han)
  2. Yukon (Tsetsaut, N. Tutchone, S. Tutchone, Tagish, Tahltan, Kaska, Sekani, Dunneza)
  3. British Columbia (Babine-Witsuwit’en, Dakelh, Chilcotin)
  4. Eastern (Dene Suline, Slavey, Dogrib)
  5. Southernly (Tsuut’ina, Apachean, Pacific Coast Athabaskan)

At this time, the details of the Athabaskan family tree should be regarded as tentative.

For detailed lists including languages, dialects, and subdialects, see the respective articles on the 3 major groups (that is, Northern Athabaskan, Pacific Coast Athabaskan, Southern Athabaskan). Northern Athabaskan is a geographic sub-grouping of the Athabaskan language family spoken in the northern part of North America, particularly in Alaska Pacific Coast Athabaskan is a geographic (and possibly genetic grouping of the Athabaskan language family Southern Athabaskan (also Apachean) is a subfamily of Athabaskan languages spoken primarily in the North American Southwest (including Arizona

Northern Athabaskan

1. Northern Athabaskan is a geographic sub-grouping of the Athabaskan language family spoken in the northern part of North America, particularly in Alaska Ahtna
2. Ahtna or Ahtena is the Na-Dené language of the Ahtna ethnic group of the Copper River area of Alaska. Dena’ina (also known as Tanaina)
3. Dena’ina (sometimes spelled Tanaina,) is the Athabaskan language of the region surrounding Cook Inlet. Deg Xinag (also known as Deg Hit'an, Kaiyuhkhotana)
4. The Deg Xinag language is a Northern Athabaskan language spoken by the Deg Hit’an peoples in Shageluk and Anvik and at Holy Cross Holikachuk (also known as Innoko)
5. Holikachuk is an Athabaskan language formerly spoken at the village of Holikachuk on the Innoko River in central Alaska. Koyukon
6. Koyukon is an Athabaskan language spoken along the Koyukuk and middle Yukon River in western interior Alaska Kolchan (also known as Upper Kuskokwim)
7. The Upper Kuskokwim language (also called Kolchan or Goltsan) is an Athabaskan language of the Na-Dené language family Lower Tanana (also known as Tanana)
8. Lower Tanana (also Tanana) is an endangered Athabaskan language spoken in Interior Alaska in the lower Tanana River villages of Tanacross
9. Tanacross (also Transitional Tanana) is an endangered Athabaskan language spoken by fewer than 60 persons in eastern Interior Alaska. Upper Tanana
10. Southern Tutchone
11. The Southern Tutchone are a First Nations people living mainly in the southern Yukon in Canada. Northern Tutchone
12. The Northern Tutchone are a First Nations people living mainly in the central Yukon in Canada. Gwich’in (also known as Kutchin)
13. The Gwich’in language is the Athabaskan language of the Gwich’in Indigenous people. Hän (also known as Han)
A. The Hän language is a Native American Endangered language spoken in only two places Eagle Alaska and Dawson City Yukon. Tahltan-Tagish-Kaska
14. Tagish
15. Tagish is an endangered Northern Athabaskan language spoken by the Tagish people in the Yukon Territory in Canada. Tahltan
16. Tahltan (also Nahanni) refers to a Northern Athabaskan people who live in northern British Columbia around Telegraph Creek, Dease Lake Kaska
17. The Kaska or Kaska Dena are a First Nations people living mainly in northern British Columbia and the southeastern Yukon in Canada Sekani
18. Sekani is the name of an Athabaskan First Nations people and language in the northern interior of British Columbia. Dunneza (also known as Beaver)
B. The Dunneza (also Dunne-za, Dane-zaa, Tasttine, and historicially often referred to as the Beaver tribe by Europeans are a First Nation Slave-Hare (Southern and Northern Slavey)
19. Slavey (also known as Slave)
20. Slavey (also Slave, Slavé) (pronounced) is an Athabaskan language spoken among the Slavey First Nations of Canada Mountain
21. Bearlake
22. Hare
23. The Dene ( Dené) are an aboriginal group of First Nations who live in the northern boreal and Arctic regions of Canada. Dogrib
24. Dogrib (also Tłįchǫ Yatiì, jatîː is a Language spoken by the First Nations Tłįchǫ people of the Canadian territory Dene Suline (also known as Chipewyan, Dëne Sųłiné, Dene Soun’liné)
25. Dene Suline (also Dëne Sųłiné, Dene Sųłiné, Chipewyan, Dene Suliné, Dëne Suliné, Dene Soun’liné or just Tsetsaut
26. Tsetsaut is an extinct Athabascan language formerly spoken in the Portland Canal area of northwestern British Columbia. Babine-Witsuwit'en (also known as North Carrier)
27. Babine-Witsuwit'en is an Athabaskan language spoken in the central interior of British Columbia. Dakelh (also known as Carrier)
28. The Carrier language is a Northern Athabaskan language. It is named after the Dakelh people a First Nations people of the central interior of Chilcotin (also known as Tsilhqot’in)
29. Chilcotin (also Tsilhqot’in, Tzilkotin) is a Northern Athabaskan language spoken in British Columbia by the Tsilhqot’in people Nicola (also known as Stuwix)
30. This article is for the modern group of First Nations Interior Salishan people known as the Nicola Tsuut’ina (also known as Sarcee, Sarsi, Tsuu T’ina)
31. Tsuut’ina (also Sarcee, Sarsi, Tsuu T’ina, Tsu T’ina) is a language spoken by Native Americans It belongs to the Athabaskan Kwalhioqua-Clatskanie (also known as Kwalhioqua-Tlatskanie)

Pacific Coast Athabaskan

32. Pacific Coast Athabaskan is a geographic (and possibly genetic grouping of the Athabaskan language family Hupa (also known as Hoopa-Chilula)
33. Hupa ( native name: Natinixwe Mixinewhe) is an Athabaskan language (of Na-Dené stock spoken in the Trinity valley in California by the Mattole-Bear River
34. Eel River
35. The Eel River Athapaskans include the Wailaki, Lassik, Nongatl, and Sinkyone groups of Native Americans that traditionally lived on Upper Umpqua
36. Rogue River (also known as Tututni)
37. Rogue River is the name of a Native American group originally located in southern Oregon in the United States. Galice-Applegate
38. Tolowa

Southern Athabaskan (also known as Apachean)

39. The Tolowa (Taa~Laa~Wa language (also called Smith River is a member of the Pacific Coast subgroup of the Athabaskan language family. Southern Athabaskan (also Apachean) is a subfamily of Athabaskan languages spoken primarily in the North American Southwest (including Arizona Plains Apache (also known as Kiowa-Apache)
A. The Plains Apache language (or Kiowa Apache) is a Southern Athabaskan language spoken by the Plains Apache peoples living primarily in central Chiricahua-Mescalero
40. Chiricahua
41. Chiricahua (also known as Mescalero-Chiricahua Apache) is a Southern Athabaskan language spoken by the Chiricahua tribe in Oklahoma and Mescalero
42. Mescalero is a Southern Athabaskan language that is spoken in New Mexico. Navajo (also known as Navaho)
43. Navajo or Navaho ( native name: Diné bizaad) is an Athabaskan language (of Na-Dené stock spoken in the southwest United States by Western Apache (also known as Coyotero Apache)
44. Western Apache refers to the similar Apache peoples living primarily in east central Arizona. Jicarilla
45. Jicarilla Apache refers to an Apache people currently living in New Mexico and speak a Southern Athabaskan language. Lipan

Areal list

List of the Athabaskan languages by their geographic locations. Lipan Apache are Southern Athabascan ( Apachean people who are aboriginal to present-day Texas, New Mexico Colorado and the northern Mexican states

Proto-Athabaskan

Phonology


A recent reconstruction of proto-Athabaskan consists of 40 consonants (Cook 1981; Krauss & Golla 1981; Krauss & Leer 1981; Cook & Rice 1989), as detailed below:

Obstruents
  Bilabial Alveolar Palatal Velar Uvular Glottal
central lateral plain labial plain labial
Stop unaspirated   t       k q qʷ  
aspirated   tʰ       kʰ qʰ qʷʰ  
glottalized   t’       k’ q’ q’ʷ ʔ
Affricate unaspirated   ʦ tɬ ʧ ʧʷ        
aspirated   ʦʰ tɬʰ ʧʰ ʧʷʰ        
glottalized   ʦ’ tɬ’ ʧ’ ʧ’ʷ        
Fricative voiceless   s ɬ ʃ ʃʷ x χ χʷ h
voiced   z ɮ ʒ ʒʷ ɣ ʁ ʁʷ  
Sonorants
Nasal m n   ɲ          
Approximant       j       w  
Vowel

References

  1. ^ Bright, William (2004). Alaska ( Аляска Alyaska) is a state in the United States of America, in the northwest of the North American continent Yukon (ˈjuːkɒn is the westernmost and smallest of Canada's three territories. The Northwest Territories (ˌnɔrθˌwɛstˈtɛrɨtɔriz ( NWT or NT; French, les Territoires du Nord-Ouest) is a territory Nunavut (ˈnuːnəvʊt ( Inuktitut syllabics: ᓄᓇᕗᑦ is the largest and newest territory of Canada; it was separated officially from the British Columbia (ˌbrɪtɨʃ kəˈlʌmbiə ( BC) ( (la Colombie-Britannique C Alberta (ælˈbɝtə is one of Canada's prairie provinces. It became a province on September 1 1905 Saskatchewan (səˈskætʃəwən) is a prairie province in Canada, which has an area of 588276 Washington ( is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. Oregon ( is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. Northern California is the northern portion of the US state of California. The State of Utah (ˈjuːtɔː or) is a western state of the United States. The State of Colorado ( or chiefly by nonresidents) is a state located in the Rocky Mountain region of the United States of America. The State of Arizona ( is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States. New Mexico ( is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States of America. Texas ( is a state geographically located in the South Central United States and is also known as the Lone Star State. Oklahoma ( is a state located in the South Central region of the United States of America. The United Mexican States ( or commonly Mexico (ˈmɛksɪkoʊ () is a federal constitutional Republic in North America. In Phonetics, a bilabial consonant is a Consonant articulated with both Lips The bilabial consonants identified by the International Phonetic Alphabet Palatal consonants are Consonants articulated with the body of the tongue raised against the Hard palate (the middle part of the roof of the mouth Uvulars are Consonants articulated with the back of the Tongue against or near the uvula, that is further back in the mouth than Velar consonants Glottal consonants are Consonants articulated with the Glottis. A central or medial consonant is a Consonant sound that is produced when air flows across the center of the mouth over the tongue Laterals are "L"-like Consonants pronounced with an occlusion made somewhere along the axis of the tongue while air from the lungs escapes at one side or both "Lip rounding" redirects here See Roundedness for the lip rounding of vowels "Lip rounding" redirects here See Roundedness for the lip rounding of vowels A stop, plosive, or occlusive is a Consonant sound produced by stopping the airflow in the Vocal tract. Description Voiceless consonants are produced with the Vocal cords open and voiced consonants are produced when the vocal folds are fractionally closed Description Voiceless consonants are produced with the Vocal cords open and voiced consonants are produced when the vocal folds are fractionally closed In Phonetics, ejective consonants are Voiceless Consonants that are pronounced with simultaneous closure of the Glottis. Affricate Consonants begin as stops (most often an alveolar, such as or) but release as a fricative (such as or or occasionally into Description Voiceless consonants are produced with the Vocal cords open and voiced consonants are produced when the vocal folds are fractionally closed Description Voiceless consonants are produced with the Vocal cords open and voiced consonants are produced when the vocal folds are fractionally closed In Phonetics, ejective consonants are Voiceless Consonants that are pronounced with simultaneous closure of the Glottis. Fricatives are Consonants produced by forcing air through a narrow channel made by placing two articulators close together Voice or voicing is a term used in Phonetics and Phonology to characterize speech sounds, with sounds described as either voiceless Voice or voicing is a term used in Phonetics and Phonology to characterize speech sounds, with sounds described as either voiceless A nasal consonant (also called nasal stop or nasal continuant) is produced with a lowered velum in the mouth allowing air to escape freely through the Approximants are speech sounds ( Phonemes) that could be regarded as intermediate between Vowels and typical Consonants In the articulation of approximants In Phonetics, a vowel is a Sound in spoken Language, such as English ah! or oh!, pronounced with an open Vocal tract Native American Place Names of the United States. Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, pg. 52

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Bibliography

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