POLYMORPHISM OF PALMAR MAIN LINE TERMINATIONS AS AN INDICATOR OF RELATIONSHIPS AMONG SARDINIAN LINGUISTIC GROUPS OF MALES

Palmar main line modal types were used to calculate distance coefficie nts between Sardinian linguistic groups of males. By using correlation matrix analyses of the coefficients, we then determined whether or no t the dermatoglyphic traits could reliably identify the biological rel ationships on the basis of the linguistic backgrounds of these groups. With Sanghvi's (X(2))(1/2) and by using palmar main lines both singly and together, we calculated dermatoglyphic distance matrices. Mantel tests of matrix correspondence showed that, by using C and D lines sin gly or all palmar main lines together, statistical significance betwee n dermatoglyphic and linguistic distances can be obtained, even when t he effect of geography is removed; there is no statistically significa nt correspondence between geographic and dermatoglyphic distance matri ces, even when the effect of language is removed. Considering the hist orical and linguistic background, the results obtained by means of the Mantel test procedure, and the present dermatoglyphic differences in Sardinian linguistic groups of males, we can hypothesize that these gr oups were already genetically differentiated before the Romance langua ges and their respective dialects developed.