Proto-Australian : Reconstruction of a Common Ancestor Language

This book is the first full evaluation of the Proto-Australian hypothesis, which proposes that most Australian languages have a common ancestor: Proto-Australian [PA]. Using the standard methodologies of historical linguistics, the authors show that nearly all Australian languages descend from PA. Given that PA was a single language, it was spoken only in a small area of Australia. Its descendants have spread across the continent. Current theories of language spread do not offer clear motivations for large-scale spread in hunter-gatherer economies. This raises significant questions for analyses of Australian prehistory and archaeology specifically, and more widely for general theories of hunter-gatherer prehistory and language spread.

Author: Mark Harvey, Robert Mailhammer

Publisher: Walter de Gruyter

Publication Date: Aug 19, 2024

Number of Pages: NA pages

Language: English

Binding: Hardcover

ISBN-10: 3111421449

ISBN-13: 9783111421445