GENETIC-ANALYSIS OF SARDINIA .1. DATA ON 12 POLYMORPHISMS IN 21 LINGUISTIC DOMAINS

(1) The microgeographic structure of Sardinia, well documented from a historical and linguistic point of view, further supported by archaeol ogical evidence, can also be dissected at the genetic level: gene freq uencies show heterogeneities which are statistically significant. (2) Dendrogram analyses per formed with different methods lead to the same result: even if gene frequencies cluster linguistically defined geogr aphic domains in agreement with historical and archaeological evidence , no phylogenetic tree can be inferred, very likely because the assump tions which allow a phylogenetic tree to be a valid model of evolution (mainly constant evolutionary rates and independence between branches ) do not apply to the genetic history of Sardinia. (3) Evidence of a q ualitative association between distribution of genes and distribution of languages or dialects seems to emerge also at the microgeographic l evel of our analysis. More linguistic and genetic data are planned to be considered.