Doctoral Dissertation Research: Structure of the Tanacross (Athabaskan) Verb

本论文旨在对Tanacross动词的结构进行语法描述。 Tanacross是阿拉斯加东部Tanacross村及其周边地区大约30名中年或老年居民所说的一种独特的阿萨巴斯卡语言，几乎没有得到过研究。 本论文将对语言进行全面的描述，并对共时和历时的阿萨巴斯卡语言学进行理论分析。 在阿萨巴斯卡语中，Tanacross因其独特的复合音系统的演变而特别有趣，反映了动词后缀的历史损失。 据报道，只有另外两种阿拉斯加阿萨巴斯卡语（汉语和上塔纳纳语）有这样的系统，而且没有详细描述。 除了Koyukon和Ahtna语言之外，很少有工作致力于描述阿拉斯加阿萨巴斯卡语言的语法结构。 因此，本文有助于进一步了解阿萨巴斯卡语动词形态。 主题包括动词结构，前缀模板，动词词干变化和动词主题类别。 由此产生的文档将有利于阿萨巴斯卡人和普通语言学社区以及Tanacross社区本身对语言振兴的持续努力。

AbstractMithun, HoltonU.Cal. Santa BarbaraOPP-9907059This dissertation project will prepare a grammatical description of the structure of the Tanacross verb. Tanacross, a distinctive Athabaskan language spoken by roughly 30 middle-aged or older residents of Tanacross village and its environs in eastern Alaska, has received little study. The dissertation will provide both a thorough description of the language and theoretical insights into synchronic and diachronic Athabaskan linguistics. Among the Athabaskan languages, Tanacross is of particular interest due to the evolution of a unique system of compound tones, reflecting the historical loss of verb suffixes. Only two other Alaska Athabaskan languages (Han and Upper Tanana) have been reported to have such a system, and none has been described in detail. With the exception of the Koyukon and Ahtna languages, very little work has been devoted to the description of grammatical structure in Alaska Athabaskan languages. This dissertation thus contributes to the further understanding of Athabaskan verbal morphology. Topics to be covered include verb structure, prefix template, verb stem variation, and verb theme categories. The resulting documentation will benefit both the Athabaskanist and general linguistics community as well as the continued efforts toward language revitalization within the Tanacross community itself.