Dené–Yeniseian languages facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Dené–Yeniseian
Geographic distribution:	northwest North America and central Siberia
Linguistic classification:	Proposed language family
Subdivisions:	Na-Dené Yeniseian
Distribution of Dené-Yeniseian languages in North Asia and North America      Na-Dene languages      Yeniseian languages Striped areas indicate the area of the former extent of the languages.

The Dené–Yeniseian idea suggests a link between two groups of languages. One group is the Yeniseian languages from central Siberia (in Asia). The other is the Na-Dené languages from northwestern North America.

Many language experts think this connection is likely. They call it the first time a clear family link has been shown between languages from the "Old World" (like Asia) and the "New World" (like North America). This connection follows the strict rules of how linguists study language history.

However, some experts are still careful. In the past, many ideas about linking languages across continents were not proven. This was often because they looked at only small similarities. The Dené–Yeniseian link is seen as "possible" by most language scholars.

Early Ideas About This Link

The Yenisei River region in central Siberia.

For a long time, researchers have tried to connect different language families around the world. The idea that Na-Dené and Yeniseian languages might be related first came up in 1923.

Early clues were about how the languages were built. Both language groups use a complex system of adding parts to the beginning of verbs. This is different from most other languages in Asia and North America.

In 1998, a linguist named Merritt Ruhlen published a paper about the Dené–Yeniseian family. Another linguist, Michael Fortescue, also suggested this link in his 1998 book. He wanted to find a balance between those who quickly group languages together and those who are very strict about connections.

Some researchers are called "lumpers" because they like to group many languages. Others are called "splitters" because they prefer to keep language families separate. This debate has made it harder to study very old language connections.

Edward Vajda's Research

In 2008, Edward Vajda, a professor at Western Washington University, shared ten years of his research. He looked at how verbs are formed and how ancient forms of these languages might have sounded. His work suggested a strong link between the Yeniseian and Na-Dené families.

Vajda's detailed research was published in 2010. This book included papers from other experts. They looked at things like archaeology (studying old human history), genetics (studying DNA), and folklore (traditional stories).

Vajda found more than 110 words or word parts that seemed to be related. He also found about ten places where prefixes (parts added to the beginning of words) and suffixes (parts added to the end) were similar in verbs. He compared what linguists thought were the original "proto-languages" (very old forms of the languages) for both groups. He then suggested how sounds might have changed over time to link them.

Vajda also noted that the Haida language does not seem to fit with either Na-Dené or Yeniseian. He continues to research and share new findings about Dené–Yeniseian.

In 2012, Vajda talked about how complex verb structures might stay the same for thousands of years. He suggested that these structures could be stronger proof of a language link than just similar words. He believes that while similar words might be hard to spot after 8,000 to 10,000 years, complex verb forms might last longer.

Vajda also looked at DNA evidence. He focused on a specific type of Y-chromosome DNA called Q1. This DNA type is passed down from fathers to sons. It appeared about 15,000 years ago. He found it in almost all Native Americans and most of the Ket people (90%), who speak a Yeniseian language. This DNA type is rare almost everywhere else in Asia.

Based on this, Vajda suggested that the original Dené–Yeniseian homeland was in eastern Siberia. These people were likely hunter-gatherers. He thinks that most of their relatives in Asia disappeared as reindeer herding spread. But the Yeniseian people survived in swampy areas where reindeer could not easily live. In North America, caribou (North American reindeer) were not domesticated, so the Na-Dené people were not threatened in the same way.

How Dené–Yeniseian Languages Are Grouped

Here is how the Dené–Yeniseian language family is generally organized:

A Different Idea (2014)

In 2014, researchers Sicoli and Holton used computer methods to study the languages. They suggested that Dené–Yeniseian might have split into four main branches, not just two. They thought Yeniseian was one branch. But they believed Na-Dené was split into several branches. Based on this, they suggested that Yeniseian speakers might have moved back to Asia from Beringia (the land bridge that once connected Asia and North America).

However, other experts have said this study had some problems. They argued it didn't use enough information to create a strong family tree. Also, another study in 2023 suggested that similar technology words in Athabaskan and Yeniseian languages might mean there was a long-lasting language connection between the two continents. This could make it harder to prove the "back-migration" idea.

Ket and Navajo Word Pairs

Here are some words from the Ket language (Yeniseian) and the Navajo language (Na-Dené) that show similarities:

Other Proposed Language Connections

Sino-Tibetan Languages

Some early ideas suggested that Yeniseian languages might be related to Sino-Tibetan languages (like Chinese and Tibetan). A 2008 study found more clues for this possible link.

Later, a theory called "Sino-Caucasian" suggested that Yeniseian languages were a branch of Sino-Tibetan. This idea was then expanded to "Dené–Caucasian" to include Na-Dené languages, Burushaski, and Basque. However, most language historians do not accept the wider Dené–Caucasian family. The Dené–Yeniseian link is seen as much more likely.

Another idea, "Sino-Dené," proposed a link between Na-Dené and Sino-Tibetan languages. Edward Sapir, a famous linguist, believed this around 1920. Edward Vajda's work on Dené–Yeniseian has made some linguists look at the Sino-Dené idea again.

In 2023, linguist David Bradley used standard methods to study language history. He found evidence for a distant link between Sino-Tibetan, Na-Dené, and Yeniseian languages. He argued that similarities between Sino-Tibetan and other Asian languages are due to contact. But since there has been no recent contact between Sino-Tibetan, Na-Dené, and Yeniseian, any shared features must be from a very old, common ancestor.

See also

• How people settled the Americas
• Genetic history of Native Americans
• Karasuk languages
• Uralo-Siberian languages