Linguistic Discovery 16.1:100-116 Comparative and Superlative Constructions in Alaskan Athabascan Languages Siri G. Tuttle University of Alaska Fairbanks A survey of reported comparative constructions in the Koyukon, Ahtna and Tanana Athabascan languages of Alaska shows that many fall into Dixon’s (2008, 2012) A2 class. A dimensional verb is accompanied by a modifying postpositional phrase, with the standard being the object of the postposition. Superlatives are not as well represented in lexical documentation as comparatives, which are themselves rare in texts and difficult to elicit. Structured elicitation of comparatives and superlatives in Ahtna and Koyukon supports observations that this rarity is related to cultural norms in Athabascan communities, where comparison (especially of people) can be considered rude, and superlatives evidence of inappropriate pride. 1. Introduction Tanana (also referred to as Lower Tanana; now represented only by the Minto dialect, Benhti Kokht’ana Kenaga’), Koyukon (Denaakk’e) and Ahtna (Koht’aene Kenaege’) are three of the eleven Athabascan languages spoken in Alaska. 1 All three are closely related, though Tanana and Koyukon, which are geographically contiguous, feel closer, largely because of shared vocabulary. Figure 1. Indigenous peoples and languages of Alaska (Krauss et al. 2011) Languages of the Athabascan family are found in three non-contiguous geographic areas in North America: Alaska and northwest Canada (the Northern group), the Southwest of the contiguous United States (the Apachean group) and along the west coast of the contiguous United States (the 1 This research is supported by National Science Foundation project BCS1160654 and by the Alaska Native Language Center.