The origin of the Na-Dene

1998/11/10 by Merritt Ruhlen · 66 citations
Arts and Humanities · Computer Science · #Biology #Evolutionary biology #Geography #Language family #Linguistics #Linguistics and Cultural Studies #Linguistics and language evolution #Natural Language Processing Techniques #Philosophy

paper · doi:10.1073/pnas.95.23.13994

published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 95(23), 13994-13996 (National Academy of Sciences)

openalex publication_date 1998/11/10 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/06/30

Abstract

Linguistic evidence indicates that the Yeniseian family of languages, spoken in central Siberia, is most closely related to the Na-Dene family of languages spoken, for the most part, in northwestern North America. This hypothesis locates the source of one of the three migrations responsible for the peopling of the Americas.

Cited by

• The phylogeography of Y chromosome binary haplotypes and the origins of modern human populations
• Mitochondrial genome diversity on the Central Siberian Plateau with particular reference to the prehistory of northernmost Eurasia
• Genomic study of the Ket: a Paleo-Eskimo-related ethnic group with significant ancient North Eurasian ancestry
• Linguistic Phylogenies Support Back-Migration from Beringia to Asia
• Genetic history of the Indigenous peoples of the Americas [wikipedia]
• Indigenous peoples of the Pacific Northwest Coast [wikipedia]
• Native Americans in the United States [wikipedia]