Alternate Names: Dene, Dené, Denetha, Mackenzian, “Slave” (pej.), “Slavi” (pej.)
Dialects: In North , and South Slavey dialect continuum which includes Hare, Bear Lake, Mountain, South Slavey, northern Alberta Slavey and Fort Nelson Slavey. A member of macrolanguage Slave ,.
Status Notes: Statutory language of provincial identity in NWT (1988, NWT Official Languages Act, Chapter 56(Supplemented), Section 4), restricted official use.
Genealogy:
Demographics: 530 (2011 census). Ethnic population: 3,600 (1995 M. Krauss).
Language Use: Older people still use South Slavey in smaller, isolated communities; serious attrition among children and young people. Also use English [eng].
Language Development: Literacy rate in L1: Below 1%. Literacy rate in L2: 25%–50%. Dictionary. Grammar. NT: 1891.
Writing System: Latin
Nation of Origin: Canada