Nee’aaneek: Upper Tanana Glossary – Scottie Creek Dialect

Alternate Language Names

Tananatana, Tabesna, Nabesna or Nee’aanèegn’.

Region

Alaska, United States.

Who

Bessie John (Author).

Others Involved

Organisations:

Canada-Yukon Cooperation and Funding Agreement on the Development and Enhancement of Aborigial Languages; Aboriginal Language Services, Excecutive Council Office, Government of Yukon (Support); Upper Tanana Cultural Society (Publisher); K-L Services of Whitehorse (Design and layout work).

Individuals:

Doris John (Creator of project); Daniel Tlen (Assistance, transcriber, glossary/Appendices compiler); Mary Tyone (Speaker and Elder); Jim Kari, John Ritter (Reviewers of the draft Glossary); Roberta Sembsomoen (Administrative and coordinating support); Wayne Towriss (Front cover photographer); Lou Johns-Penikett (Elder); Sid Vander Meer (President of the Upper Tanan Cultural Society).

Publishing Information

Published March 1997 by the Upper Tanana Cultural Society, Beaver Creek, Yukon.

How People are Cited

People are mostly cited in the Acknowledgements, except for Bessie John who is additionally cited on the front cover and the first page, along side Daniel Tlen.

How Information is Cited

The source of information for this dictionary is cited in the Acknowledgements and Introduction.

Where is Information Coming from

The information in this dictionary comes from speakers and linguists, mainly Bessie John and Mary Tyone.

The spelling conventions found in the dictionary closely follow those in the Yukon Native Language Centre’s Upper Tanana Language Lessons – Scottie Creek Dialect, 1994.

Tools and Framework used

This dictionary is available as a physical and digital book.

Access

The digital copy (PDF scan) is open access through the Alaska Native Language Archive. The physical copy can only be accessed through the Elmer E. Rasmuson Library at the University of Alaska Fairbanks.

Included Languages and Directionality

English to Upper Tanana.

Dialects Included

This is a dictionary of the Scottie Creek dialect of Upper Tanana.

Type of Dictionary

This is a bilingual, mono-directional topical dictionary.

How are Entries Organised

Entries are organized topically in a Topical Glossary that is organized alphabetically. Most entries include example phrases, which are first written in Upper Tanana and translated in English underneath.

The dictionary also contains an Appendix featuring Vowels, Tones, Chart of Consonant Sounds, and Consonants organized alphabetically in Upper Tanana. It also incorporates an Index which is organized alphabetically in English.

Other Features

Other Notes

Bessie John’s daughter, Doris John, was the one who came up with the idea of the dictionary. However, it is her mother and other speakers that compiled the information found in it.

The authors state that this version of the dictionary is a preliminary version only, and acknowledge that the Upper Tanana language is still evolving.