Dena'ina Topical Dictionary » (Bilingual)

This is a dictionary of the Dena'ina Athabascan language of Cook Inlet Basin and the Southern Alaska Range. Vocabulary lists arranged by topic provide a panoramic view of the central cultural and ecological concepts of the Dena'ina. In terms of breadth of subjects, technical specificity, dialect coverage, and illustrations, this is the most refined topical lexicon in existence for an Alaska Native language and for any language in the Athabascan family. More than one hundred Dena'ina speakers contributed words, and many chapters were reviewed by experts in natural history and ethnology. This work positions Dena'ina topical materials at the intersection of ethnology and linguistics.

List of Illustrations

Symbols and Abbreviations

Foreword Alan Boraas Boraas, Alan

Foreword Jonathon S. Ross Ross, Jonathon S.

Preface James Kari Kari, James

Introduction

1 Animals 1

2 Fish, Shellfish, and Amphibians 17

3 Birds 27

4 Insects 41

5 Plants 47

6 Pronouns 65

7 Relatives, Kinship Terms 66

8 People 72

9 Body Parts 86

10 Dena'ina Place Names 104

11 Water, Snow and Ice 121

12 Land and Land Forms 136

13 Sky, Weather, and Atmosphere 148

14 Days, Seasons, Months, and Adverbs of Time 157

15 Clothing and Adornment 165

16 Skin Tanning and Sewing 180

17 Tools 189

18 Hunting and Fishing Devices 202

19 Houses, Shelters, Racks, and Caches 219

20 Transportation 234

21 Fire 248

22 Household Furnishings, Personal Belongings, and Miscellany 254

23 Cooking and Eating Utensils and Containers 268

24 Foods 277

25 Games, Music, and Stories 295

26 Religious Terms and Spirits 306

27 Abstract or Non-Material Concepts 315

28 Colors 319

29 Numbers, Measurements, and Adverbs of Quantity 322

30 Areal Nouns, Postpositions, and Adverbs of Location 331

31 Riverine Directionals 336

32 Question Words and Sample Questions 342

English Index 345

Personal Names Index 362

References 363