Hi Folks! This video is slightly different from my usual content. Don’t worry, we’re still taking a look at a language macrofamily proposal, but this time I do a bit of talking to the camera at the beginning. There’s 9 whole minutes of it—feel free to skip, there are a lot of jump cuts as I recorded tired, around 2am in the morning. In terms of the edit, the video might be slightly rough around the edges because I’m trying to get the video out as soon as possible, as I will be traveling in the upcoming weeks! Nevertheless, we’ll cover some interesting stuff, and everything is referenced on screen or below in the description so you can take a closer look at the source materials yourselves. In my last video on Burushaski, the most requested topic was the Dene-Caucasian hypothesis. As a loyal servant of my subscribers, that’s what we’ll be covering in the upcoming videos. However, today we will focus on a narrower subsection of the Dene-Caucasian hypothesis, namely Dene-Yeniseian. In this video, we delve into the fascinating world of the Dene-Yeniseian hypothesis, a promising proposal linking the Na-Dene languages of North America with the Yeniseian languages of Siberia. Join me as we explore the history, evidence, and current status of this intriguing linguistic theory, one which has gained traction in the community over recent years. We'll cover key features of the involved languages, notable linguists' contributions, and the methodologies used to evaluate such proposals. A significant part of this hypothesis hinges on the work of linguist Edward Vajda. Vajda's research emphasizes the highly complex prefixing nature of the verb systems in both language families. These similarities in verb morphology provide compelling evidence for a genetic relationship between Na-Dene and Yeniseian. Towards the end of the video, we will take a look at the proto-Yeniseian, Na-Dene, and Dene-Yeniseian verb complexes side by side. Of course, we’ll examine a few selected examples of cognates from Dene-Yeniseian and provide a brief literature overview. Additionally, we'll touch upon fascinating folklore parallels between the two language groups, including shared mythological motifs that further enrich our understanding of their connections. Please note that even though Dene-Yeniseian is a narrower hypothesis involving two of the language families in the Dene-Caucasian hypothesis, supporters of Dene-Yeniseian do not necessarily support Dene-Caucasian, and vice versa. Sources (additional sources are cited in video) Berezkin, Y. (2019). Athabaskan–Siberian folklore links: In search of Na-Dene origins. Folklore, 130(1), 31-47. Campbell, L. (2021). Historical linguistics: An introduction (4th ed.). The MIT Press. Campbell, L. R. (2018). How many language families are there in the world? Anuario del Seminario de Filología Vasca Julio de Urquijo. ⭐Georg, S. (2007). A descriptive grammar of Ket. Part I: Introduction, phonology and morphology. Kent, UK: Global Oriental. Kim-Maloney, A. (2010). Comparison of a pair of Ket and Diné (Navajo) myth motifs. Anthropological Papers of the University of Alaska. Kiparsky, P. (2014). New perspectives in historical linguistics. In P. Kiparsky (Ed.), The Routledge Handbook of Historical Linguistics (1st ed., p. 39). Routledge. Kotorova, E., & Nefedov, A. (Eds.). (2015). Comprehensive dictionary of Ket (with Russian, German and English translation) (Vols. I–II). München: LINCOM GmbH. Krauss, M. (1970). Eyak Dictionary. Krauss, M. (2005). Athabaskan tone. In S. Hargus & K. Rice (Eds.), Athabaskan Prosody (pp. 51–136). Amsterdam: John Benjamins. Krauss, M. E., & Leer, J. (1981). Athapaskan, Eyak, and Tlingit sonorants (Alaska Native Language Center Research Papers 5). Fairbanks, AK: Alaska Native Language Center. Leer, J. (1996). Comparative Athabascan Lexicon. Rice, K. A Grammar of Slave. Berlin, New York: De Gruyter Mouton, 1989. Sicoli, M. A., & Holton, G. (2014). Linguistic phylogenies support back-migration from Beringia to Asia. PLoS ONE, 9(3). Trask, R. L. (1995). Basque and Dene-Caucasian: A critique from the Basque side. Mother Tongue. Journal of the Association for the Study of Language in Prehistory(1), 3. Vajda, E. (2019). Yeniseian and Dene toponyms. In G. Holton & T. Thornton (Eds.), Language and toponymy in Alaska and beyond: Papers in honor of James Kari (pp. 174–190). Honolulu and Fairbanks: University of Hawai‘i Press and Alaska Native Language Center. (Language Documentation and Conservation Special Publication no. 16). ⭐Vajda, E., & Fortescue, M. (27 Jan. 2022). Mid-Holocene Language Connections between Asia and North America. Leiden, The Netherlands: Brill. ⭐Wilson, J. A. P. (2016). The Union of Two Worlds: Reconstructing Elements of Proto-Athabaskan Folklore and Religion. Folklore, 127(1), 26–50. Yanovich, I. (2020). Phylogenetic linguistic evidence and the Dene-Yeniseian homeland. Diachronica.

• published: 18 Jul 2024
• views: 4545