A History of Eyak Language Documentation and Study: Fredericae de Laguna in Memoriam

Frederica de Laguna is generally considered the person who "discovered" Eyak. This paper chronicles a parade of characters who recorded Eyak in (over 9) vocabularies (1778–1862) and even phonographically (1899); more who defined or mapped it, even (1863) in color. Freddy’s fieldwork of the 1930s is then discussed, and finally that of linguists after her (1940–2006). This is a history full of ironies that should entertain the reader appreciative of humanistics, human foibles, and the history of science. Michael E. Krauss, Alaska Native Language Center University of Alaska Fairbanks, Fairbanks, Alaska 99775-7680