Brahui and the Zagrosian Hypothesis

Abstract

This paper is an extension of McAlpin (2003) and follows the same conventions I used there, particularly for the citations of Kurux. My earlier monograph (McAlpin 1981) is, at this point, largely out-of-date, not so much wrong as bypassed by more complete sources and better argumentation. However, the portion on the velars, PED *k, is completely mistaken and is superseded by this article. The underlying assumption that we understood Proto-Dravidian phonology proved premature. The separation of the old velars into palatals, velars, and uvulars has had a major impact on the comparative statements. This paper is restricted to the dorsal consonants (palatals, velars, uvulars) and their immediate extensions. This is primarily because this information is new, but it also keeps the body of data small enough that a complete set of the data can be presented in a reasonably sized paper.