The concept of the language family, as a group of genetically related languages, has been well established in historical linguistics for more than two hundred years. But the notion of the macrofamily, a larger unit, comprising several language families with all their daughter languages, is a much more recent one. The Nostratic macrofamily, comprising many of the principal language families of Eurasia and North Africa has been most vigorously championed by the eminent Russian-born linguist Aharon Dolgopolsky.The appearance of the Nostratic Dictionary represents an important moment in Nostratic studies, for the first time presenting a sufficient body of evidence to permit the evaluation by linguists of the status of the proposed Nostratic macrofamily, and by implication of other macrofamilies also.

The McDonald Institute is proud to publish this work, recognising the highly significant impact which the general acceptance by historical linguists of the Nostratic macrofamily would have upon the whole study of the prehistory of languages and for the potential investigation, by archaeological means, of the social contexts in which early languages and proto-languages were spoken. It does so as a further contribution to the ongoing debate on the complex relationships between archaeology and language.

This is a preliminary publication of work by the author up to November 2006 without final correction of the proofs. It will continue to be updated as and when amendments become available. The publication and its updates are accessible on-line at http://www.dspace.cam.ac.uk/handle/1810/196512. The work can be supplied as CD if required.

Published in the McDonald Institute’s series Studies in the Prehistory of Languages

Contents Preface by Professor Lord Colin Renfrew Introduction by Professor Aharon Dolgopolsy Dictionary listings

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