Northern Athabaskan is a geographic sub-grouping of the Athabaskan language family spoken in the northern part of North America

North America

North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...

, particularly in Alaska

Alaska

Alaska is the largest state in the United States by area. It is situated in the northwest extremity of the North American continent, with Canada to the east, the Arctic Ocean to the north, and the Pacific Ocean to the west and south, with Russia further west across the Bering Strait...

 and the Yukon

Yukon

Yukon is the westernmost and smallest of Canada's three federal territories. It was named after the Yukon River. The word Yukon means "Great River" in Gwich’in....

. The Northern Athabaskan language group has 31 languages that can be divided into seven geographic subgroups.

Southern Alaskan

1. Ahtna

Ahtna language

Ahtna or Ahtena is the Na-Dené language of the Ahtna ethnic group of the Copper River area of Alaska. The language is also known as Copper River or Mednovskiy...

( Atna, Ahtena, Copper River)

• Central Copper River Ahtna
• Lower Copper River Ahtna
• Mentasta ( Upper Ahtna)
• Western Ahtna

2. Dena’ina ( Tanaina)

• Lower Inlet Dena’ina

- Outer Inlet

- Iliamna

- Inland

• Upper Inlet Dena’ina

Central Alaska–Yukon

A. Koyukon

3. Deg Xinag

Deg Xinag

The Deg Xinag language is a Northern Athabaskan language spoken by the Deg Hit’an peoples in Shageluk and Anvik and at Holy Cross along the lower Yukon River in Alaska....

( Deg Hit'an, Kaiyuhkhotana)

• Lower Yukon River
• Middle Kuskokwin

4. Holikachuk

Holikachuk language

Holikachuk is a highly endangered Athabaskan language formerly spoken at the village of Holikachuk on the Innoko River in central Alaska. In 1962 residents of Holikachuk relocated to Grayling on the lower Yukon River. Holikachuk is intermediate between the Deg Xinag and Koyukon languages,...

( Innoko, Innoka-khotana, Tlëgon-khotana)

5. Koyukon

Koyukon language

Koyukon is an Athabaskan language spoken along the Koyukuk and middle Yukon River in western interior Alaska. It has about 300 speakers - generally older adults bilingual in English - from an ethnic population of 2,300....

( Ten’a, Co-Youkon, Co-yukon)

• Lower Koyukon ( Lower Yukon Koyukon)
• Central Koyukon ( Dinaakkanaaga Ts’inh Huyoza, Koyukuk River Koyukon)
• Upper Koyukon ( Upper Yukon Koyukon)

B. Tanana–Tutchone

6. Upper Kuskokwim ( Kolchan, Goltsan)

I. Tanana

7. Lower Tanana

Lower Tanana language

Lower Tanana is an endangered Athabaskan language spoken in Interior Alaska in the lower Tanana River villages of Minto and Nenana. Of about 380 Tanana people in the two villages, about 30 still speak the language...

( Tanana

Tanana

Tanana may refer to:* Tanana, Alaska* Tanana River* Tanana languages* Lower Tanana* Upper Tanana* Tanana * Frank Tanana baseball player...

, Minto

Minto

-Places:Antarctica*Mount Minto Australia*Minto, New South WalesCanada*Minto , a provincial electoral division in Manitoba*Minto, Manitoba, a community located in the Rural Municipality of Whitewater.*Minto, New Brunswick...

, Dandey in, Dineh su, Tananatana)

• Minto-Tolovana-Toklat-Nenana-Wood River

- Minto-Tolovana

- Toklat

- Nenana

- Wood River

• Chena
• Salcha-Goodpastor

8. Tanacross

Tanacross language

Tanacross is an endangered Athabaskan language spoken by fewer than 60 persons in eastern Interior Alaska.- Overview :The word Tanacross Tanacross (also Transitional Tanana) is an endangered Athabaskan language spoken by fewer than 60 persons in eastern Interior Alaska.- Overview :The word...

( Tanana, Dandey in, Dineh su, Tananatana)

9. Upper Tanana

Upper Tanana language

Upper Tanana is an endangered Athabaskan language spoken in eastern Interior Alaska, mainly in the villages of Northway, Tetlin, and Tok, and adjacent areas of Canada's Yukon Territory...

( Tanana, Dandey in, Dineh su, Tananatana)

• Nabesna
• Tetlin
• Northway
• Scottie Creek
• Canadian Upper Tanana

II. Tutchone

Tutchone language

Tutchone is a threatened Athabaskan language spoken in the Yukon Territory in Canada. It has two varieties that are sometimes considered separate languages, Southern Tutchone and Northern Tutchone....

( Gens de Bois, Gunana, Nahane, Nahani, Tutchonekutchin)

* Southern Tutchone

* Northern Tutchone ( Mayo)

C. Kutchin–Han

12. Gwich’in

Gwich’in language

The Gwich’in language is the Athabaskan language of the Gwich’in indigenous people. It is also known in older or dialect-specific publications as Kutchin, Takudh, Tukudh, or Loucheux. In the Northwest Territories and Yukon of Canada, it is used principally in the towns of Inuvik, Aklavik, Fort...

( Gwitch’in, Kutchin, Kootchin, Loucheux, Loucheaux, Takudh, Tukudh, “Quarrelers”)

• Alaskan Gwich’in ( Western Gwich’in)
• Canadian Gwich’in ( Eastern Gwich’in)

13. Hän

Hän language

The Hän language is a Native American endangered language spoken in only two places: Eagle, Alaska and Dawson City, Yukon. There are only a few fluent speakers left , all of them elderly....

( Han, Moosehide, Dawson, Gens du Fou, Han Gwich-in, Han-Kootchin, Hankutchin)

Northwestern Canada

A. Cordillera

I. Central Cordillera ( Tahltan-Tagish-Kaska)

14. Tagish

Tagish language

Tagish is an endangered Northern Athabaskan language spoken by the Tagish people in the Yukon Territory in Canada. It is almost extinct as there are only two fluent speakers left.Tagish is closely related to Kaska and Tahltan...

( Gunana, Nahane, Nahani, Si-him-E-na, “Stick Indians”, Tagisch, Tahgish, Tahkeesh, Tahk-heesh)

15. Tahltan

Tahltan language

Tahltan is a poorly documented Northern Athabaskan language historically spoken by the Tahltan people who live in northern British Columbia around Telegraph Creek, Dease Lake, and Iskut. Some linguists consider Tahltan to be a language with 3 divergent but mutually intelligible dialects...

( Nahanni, Keyehotine, Nahane, Nahani, Tahl-tan, Tatltan, Ticaxhanoten, Toltan)

16. Kaska

Kaska language

Kaska is a Northern Athabaskan language spoken by the Kaska people in the southeastern Yukon territory and northern British Columbia in Canada.-References:***...

( Nahanni, Nahane, Nahani, Cassiar)

II. Southeastern Cordillera

17. Sekani

Sekani language

The Sekani language is a Northern Athabaskan language spoken by the Sekani people of north-central British Columbia, Canada.-Consonants:Sekani has 33 consonants:* *Sekani, like other Athabaskan languages, does not contrast fricatives with approximants....

18. Danezaa

Danezaa language

Danezaa , also known as Tsattine or traditionally as Beaver, is an Athabascan language of western Canada...

( Beaver, Tsattine, Dunne-za, Deneza, Gens de Castor)

B. Mackenzie

I. Slavey–Hare ( Slave)

19. Slavey

Slavey language

Slavey is an Athabaskan language spoken among the Slavey First Nations of Canada in the Northwest Territories where it also has official status....

( Slavey proper, South Slavey, Southern Slavey, Dene Tha, Esclave, Nahane, Nahani, Slave)

20. Mountain ( Montagnards, Nahane, Nahani, Sih gotine, Sihta gotine)

21. Bearlake ( Satudine, Sahtu gotine, Bear Lake)

22. Hare ( Kawchottine, Ka so gotine, Kancho, Kawchodinneh, Rabbitskins, Ta-na-tin-ne)

23. Dogrib

Dogrib language

Dogrib, the English translation of the indigenous name ' , is a Northern Athabaskan language spoken by the First Nations Tłı̨chǫ people of the Canadian territory Northwest Territories...

( Tli Cho, Tłįchǫ or Thlingchadine)

C. Chipewyan

24. Dene Suline

Dene Suline language

Dene Suline or Chipewyan is the language spoken by the Chipewyan people of central Canada. It is a part of the Athabaskan family...

( Chipewyan, Dëne Sųłiné, Dene, Yellowknife, Montagnais, "Northern Indians", Copper Indians, Coppermine Indians, Mithcocoman, Red Knife, T’atsan ottine, Tatsotine, Yellow Knife)

Tsetsaut

25. Tsetsaut ( Ts’ets’aut, Nahane, Nahani, Portland Canal, Wetalth)

Central British Columbia

26. Babine-Witsuwit'en

Babine-Witsuwit'en

-External links:****** Note, however, that the Carrier-speaking region is marked incorrectly on this map and that Babine-Witsuwit'en is not indicated. The area around Babine Lake and Takla Lake, included in the Dakelh region on the map, is actually Babine speaking...

( North Carrier, Babine Carrier, Northern Carrier, Bulkley Valley, Lakes District, Western Carrier)

• Babine ( Nadot’en, Nedut’en, Nat’oot’en)
• Takla
• Witsuwit’en ( Wetsuwet’en, Wets’uwet’en, Wet’suwet’en)
• Moricetown
• Francois Lake

27. Dakelh

Carrier language

The Carrier language is a Northern Athabaskan language. It is named after the Dakelh people, a First Nations people of the Central Interior of British Columbia, Canada, for whom Carrier is the usual English name. People who are referred to as Carrier speak two related languages. One,...

( Carrier, Dakelhne, Takelne, Takulli, Taculli, Takulie, Porteur, Nagailer)

• Central Carrier ( Upper Carrier)
• Southern Carrier ( Lower Carrier)

28. Chilcotin

Chilcotin language

Chilcotin is a Northern Athabaskan language spoken in British Columbia by the Tsilhqot’in people....

( Tsilhqot’in, Tinneh, Chilkhodins, Tsilkotin)

29. Nicola

Nicola language

Nicola is the name used for an extinct Athabascan language formerly spoken in the Similkameen and Nicola Countries of British Columbia by the group known to linguists and ethnographers as the Nicola people, although that name in modern usage refers to an alliance of Interior Salishan bands living...

( Stuwix, Nicola-Similkameen) (extinct)

Kwalhioqua–Tlatskanai

31. Kwalhioqua–Clatskanie ( Kwalhioqua–Tlatskanie)

• Willapa ( Willoopah)
• Suwal-Clatskanie

- Suwal

- Clatskanie ( Tlatskanie)

External links

• Map of Northern Athabaskan dialects