Ket lexical peculiarities and their presentation in a bilingual dictionary

This paper describes the challenges posed to lexicographers by the unique cultural vocabulary and other lexical idiosyncrasies of Ket, a language isolate of Central Siberia that displays a number of interesting typological features. It describes the ongoing project of compiling a bilingual dictionary including the various Ket dialects that began with the pioneering fieldwork of Andreas Dulson, founder of the Native Siberian Languages Laboratory at Tomsk Pedagogical University. The discussion also touches upon the issue of language endangerment as it relates to Ket.