The Dene languages (also known as Athapaskan or Athabascan) are group of phylogenetically related languages spoken over three wide discontinuous areas of North America. This project investigates the linguistic and cultural history of these languages through the lens of a large, comparative lexical database: the Pan-Dene Comparative Lexicon. One of the aims of the project is to reconstruct etymologies or word histories of individual lexical items by comparing meanings across different languages in the group. So far, this aspect of the research has focused on anatomical and kinship terms. A related area of research is the reconstruction of the phylogenetic structure of the Dene language family with the aid of computational methods. The project is part of a larger research effort investigating deeper temporal relations that involves research collaborations with archaeologists and specialists in genetics and ethnohistory.
Most recent publication:
Snoek, Conor, Michaela Stang, and Sally Rice (2022) "Linguistic Relationships between Apachean and Northern Athapaskan: On the possibility of 'Eastern Athapaskan'." In Ives, John W. and Joel Janetski (eds.), Holes in Our Moccasins, Holes in Our Stories: Apachean Origins and the Promontory, Franktown, and Dismal River Archaeological Records. Salt Lake City: The University of Utah Press.
Most recent conference presentation:
Snoek, Conor. "New Perspectives on (ancient) Dene Kinship". (2022) American Anthropological Association Annual Meeting. Seattle, Washington, 9-13 September 2022.
