Edward Vajda
Encyclopedia
Edward Vajda is a historical linguist at Western Washington University
. He has become known for his work on the proposed Dené–Yeniseian language family, seeking to establish that the Ket language
of Siberia
has a common linguistic ancestor with the Na-Dené languages
of North America
. He began to study the Ket language in the 1990s, after the dissolution
of the Soviet Union
; he interviewed Ket speakers in Germany
and later traveled to Tomsk
in southwestern Siberia to perform fieldwork. In August 2008 he became the first North American to visit the Ket homeland in north-central Siberia's Turukhansky District
, where he conducted intensive fieldwork with some of the remaining Ket speakers. Vajda's 67-page article "A Siberian link with Na-Dene languages" has been published in 2010 in the Anthropological Papers of the University of Alaska.
Western Washington University
Western Washington University is one of six state-funded, four-year universities of higher education in the U.S. state of Washington. It is located in Bellingham and offers bachelor's and master's degrees.-History:...
. He has become known for his work on the proposed Dené–Yeniseian language family, seeking to establish that the Ket language
Ket language
The Ket language, formerly known as Yenisei Ostyak, is a Siberian language long thought to be an isolate, the sole surviving language of a Yeniseian language family...
of Siberia
Siberia
Siberia is an extensive region constituting almost all of Northern Asia. Comprising the central and eastern portion of the Russian Federation, it was part of the Soviet Union from its beginning, as its predecessor states, the Tsardom of Russia and the Russian Empire, conquered it during the 16th...
has a common linguistic ancestor with the Na-Dené languages
Na-Dené languages
Na-Dene is a Native American language family which includes at least the Athabaskan languages, Eyak, and Tlingit languages. An inclusion of Haida is controversial....
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...
. He began to study the Ket language in the 1990s, after the dissolution
Dissolution of the Soviet Union
The dissolution of the Soviet Union was the disintegration of the federal political structures and central government of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , resulting in the independence of all fifteen republics of the Soviet Union between March 11, 1990 and December 25, 1991...
of the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
; he interviewed Ket speakers in Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
and later traveled to Tomsk
Tomsk
Tomsk is a city and the administrative center of Tomsk Oblast, Russia, located on the Tom River. One of the oldest towns in Siberia, Tomsk celebrated its 400th anniversary in 2004...
in southwestern Siberia to perform fieldwork. In August 2008 he became the first North American to visit the Ket homeland in north-central Siberia's Turukhansky District
Turukhansky District
Turukhansky District is an administrative and municipal district , one of the forty-three in Krasnoyarsk Krai, Russia. It is located in the northwest portion of the krai and borders with Taymyrsky Dolgano-Nenetsky District in the north, Evenkiysky District in the east, Yeniseysky District in the...
, where he conducted intensive fieldwork with some of the remaining Ket speakers. Vajda's 67-page article "A Siberian link with Na-Dene languages" has been published in 2010 in the Anthropological Papers of the University of Alaska.