LSA 103: Athabaskan linguistic structures

Keren Rice | session 1 | TuTh 3:30 – 5:15, 101 Moffitt Hall

This course will provide an introduction to Athabaskan languages, addressing both historical and synchronic aspects. We will examine the core similarities between the languages as well as differences between them, with a focus on basic description and current discussions of issues in phonetics, phonology, morphology, syntax, and semantics. We will also touch on the deeper historical dimensions, discussing the recent work on the relationship of Ket to Athabaskan languages.

Reading: Selected materials available online.

On reserve at Graduate Services, 208 Doe Library: Sharon Hargus, Witsuwit'en Grammar, James Kari, Ahtna Athabaskan Dictionary, and Jules Jette and Eliza Jones, Koyukon Athabaskan Dictionary.

Prerequisites: This course will assume background in linguistics. No background in Athabaskan languages is expected.

Areas of linguistics: Areal and historical linguistics; Phonetics, phonology, and morphology; Syntax, semantics, and morphology; Languages of the Americas