Abstract

The Kerek language, once spoken along the northwestern coast of the Bering Sea, ceased to be actively spoken around the turn of the twenty‑first century, when its last native speakers passed away. A member of the Chukotko‑Kamchatkan family, Kerek represents a missing link between Chukchi and Alutor, occupying an important position for understanding the internal relationships within this small but complex group. Despite this significance, Kerek has remained largely understudied because almost no primary data have been accessible. Until recently, published sources consisted only of a brief grammatical sketch by P. Skorik and a single publication by V. Leontev containing ethnographic descriptions and Russian translations of Kerek folklore texts.

Leontev’s publication, however, did not include the original Kerek versions of the texts. Archival research in recent years has revealed that the original Kerek materials and the corresponding sound recordings used by Leontev are preserved in Magadan. Additional field materials collected by E. Asinovsky and A. Volodin are held at the Archives of the Institute for Linguistic Studies in St. Petersburg, comprising several transcribed texts and recordings. These holdings had been known only to a few specialists, and the confirmation of their scope and condition represents an important development for Kerek studies.

Careful examination of these materials is expected to yield valuable information on the structure of Kerek, including aspects of phonology, morphology, and syntax that have remained poorly described. The combination of textual and audio data offers a rare opportunity to analyze natural speech and narrative style in a language that was no longer transmitted to new generations by the end of the last century. This presentation introduces the contents and current state of these archival collections, outlines the kinds of data they contain, and reflects on how their study may contribute to a more complete understanding of Kerek as a missing link within the Chukotko‑Kamchatkan family.