Papers of the University of Alaska, New Series, 5 (1-2). A special joint publication of the

• Other Authors: The Pennsylvania State University CiteSeerX Archives
• Format: Text
• Language: English
• Subjects: Comrie; Fairbanks; Kari; eyak; haida; tlingit; Alaska; Siberia
• Online Access: http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/summary?doi=10.1.1.404.1730; http://www2.hawaii.edu/~lylecamp/Campbell Yeniseian NaDene review 11-2-10.pdf

The Dene-Yeniseian Connection (Henceforth DYC) has eighteen articles and two appendices, based on papers most of which were presented at the Dene-Yeniseian Symposium held Feb. 26-27, 2008, University of Alaska Fairbanks. The cornerstone of DYC is Edward Vajda’s “A Siberian link with Na-Dene languages ” (pp. 33-99) in which he proposes a connection between the Yeniseian language family of central Siberia and “Na-Dené” (Athabaskan-Eyak-Tlingit, minus Haida of the traditional Na-Dené hypothesis). The other articles deal mostly with Vajda’s hypothesis, presenting a range of opinion about it and matters related to it. Given both the distance and time depth separating Yeniseian and Na-Dene, this would seem an implausible relationship. Nevertheless, several well-known linguists have declared their support, though often with caution, for example in DYC Hamp, Comrie, Fortescue, Kari, and Nichols. This being the case, this proposal merits careful attention. There are noteworthy ideas, as well as a few dramatic errors, in the other papers in DYC well worth discussion. However, most of the limited space for this review is dedicated to an evaluation of Vajda’s paper given the importance of the hypothesis it proposes, though the other papers of the volume are also referenced here in connection with Vajda’s.