TESTING HYPOTHESES ON PROCESSES OF GENETIC AND LINGUISTIC CHANGE IN THE CAUCASUS

Extensive genetic diversity exists in the populations of the Caucasus. Various hypotheses on its origin and evolution were tested by compari ng genetic, geographic, and linguistic distances. Seventeen polymorphi c loci and 107 localities were considered, and Mantel tests of matrix association were carried out. Genetic differ ences correlate more with linguistic than with geographic distances; but when populations are g rouped by the language spoken, this correlation loses significance, wh ereas genetic and geographic distances between groups appear significa ntly associated. Hypotheses that classify North and South Caucasian la nguages into distinct families or that treat all North Caucasian langu ages as independent linguistic entities fail to account for genetic va riation better than simpler models. We interpret these results as evid ence for an evolutionary process in which linguistic and genetic diver gence has resulted from population subdivision and from processes of e lite dominance, that is, language replacement not associated with majo r migratory movements.