Dene (Athabaskan) languages are well known for their complex verb morphology, being analyzed as a verb stem that is potentially preceded by a large number of prefixes. Traditionally treated as templatic in structure, in Rice 2000 I argue that semantic scope plays a major factor in the order of the morphemes. In this course we examine phonological and syntactic factors in addition to the semantic that play a role in determining the order of morphemes in the verb, looking both at particular languages and across the family. We discuss issues concerning word formation and address the question of what is synchronic and what is a consequence of diachronic factors