Athapaskan language
- noun
- /ˌæθəˈpæskən ˈlæŋɡwɪdʒ/
- Specialized
:
lengua atapasca
- Many children in the community are learning the Athapaskan language to preserve their cultural heritage.
Examples
-
The Gwich'in people communicate using their native Athapaskan language in Alaska.
-
Finally, the Chiricahuas were the western neighbors of the Mescaleros, and like the Lipans and Mescaleros, they spoke a Southern Athapaskan language.
Academic text (1999) -
Linguists study the Athapaskan language to understand its unique grammar and vocabulary.
Synonyms
A group of related native languages spoken in northwest Canada, Alaska, and the southwestern United States
A group of related Native American languages spoken in western North America, for example in Alaska and the southwest
A group of related native languages spoken in Alaska, northwestern Canada, and the southwestern United States
A group of related Native American languages that people speak in Alaska, western Canada, and the US southwest
Surface Forms
Morphology
The phrase is compositionally transparent: 'Athapaskan' identifies a language family and 'language' denotes a tongue, so the meaning 'a language of the Athapaskan family' is directly derivable from the parts. This proper-name + noun pattern is cross-linguistically common, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents would understand it.
Etymology
Athapaskan language comes from the Athabasca River area in Canada, where many of these related languages were first found. Because the river region and the groups who call themselves 'Dene', meaning 'people', were known for these languages, the river name came to be used for the whole family of related indigenous languages.
