February 8, 2024. I am still here. Work on a multilingual website continues. I continue to collect data to be used in an updated edition of my 2021 monograph.
September 15, 2023. I posted a German translation of my 2021 monogram to ResearchGate. I am also working on a multilingual website. Finally, I posted a comment to a Science Article “Language trees with sampled ancestors support a hybrid model for the origin of Indo-European languages.” It’s another example of phonological fantasy and statistical sorcery.
August 12, 2023. I am currently working on a German translation of my 2021 monograph.
July 13, 2023. I quietly corrected my typos in the 2021 monograph and posted a “cleaner” version of the work on my website. I wish I had the resources to hire a professional editor, but it is what it is. I really want walk away from this project but like many of the famous sports figures the very thought of retirement is unthinkable. Actually, the very thought of exiting the battlefield and conceding the fight to paleogenomics is downright ugly.
May 5, 2023. I recently posted a paper about Uto-Aztecan languages. I very much object to an interpretation of language prehistory with statistical modeling.
April 27, 2023. I just learned that Svante Pääbo received the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine. This is very disappointing. The award rightfully belongs to Peter Underhill for his work on the Y-chromosome at Stanford.
April 20, 2023. The road a peer reviewed open access publication might never happen. It all comes down to money. I have taken the liberty of making the raw data available for other researchers. Under “the Prehistory of Language” tab is a link to an Excel workbook.
March 31, 2023. My 2021 monograph is currently under review for open access publishing. I will keep you informed. I am making an effort to correct the typos. I wish I could afford a professional editor, but this would cost at least $2,000. I should emphasize that I am still satisfied with content. I have also posted comments to several studies that have appeared on Research Gate. There is a disturbing development by some geneticists to decipher the prehistory of language by using statistical models. I guess I am a lone voice in the wilderness that attempts a course correction with hard data from anthropology and climate change.
February 24, 2023. My efforts to decipher the prehistory of language with genetic data were greatly influenced by the geneticist Luca Cavalli-Sforza and his work at Stanford and elsewhere. He was a champion of interdisciplinary cooperation between geneticists, linguists, and anthropologists. Here is a link to a website that was published by his family. https://lucacavallisforza.com/
I actually went a year without reading my 2021 monograph, and now that I returned to it …. well, I like what I see. I think I will renew my efforts to find financial support to have my work professionally edited.
December 4, 2022. I am still alive. I have accepted the fact a Ph.D. in linguistics will never lead to a full time job with benefits. I have been working as a security guard for a casino.
March 7, 2022. I realize my final report has numerous typos. I am looking at options to hire a professional proofreader and editor (please, no spam). As far as content, I believe the work is accurate. My dream was to have the work published open access by an academic publisher, but I do not think I can ever raise the money.
November 28, 2021. I issued my final report. I will no longer work on this project.
October 7, 2021. I finished writing the revision for 2022 and at this point its ready to be sent to a professional proofreader for review (if I get funded, and please no spam, I have already decided). The 2020 resource guide was posted in February 2020 and a month later David Reich released his ancient DNA data set. The 2022 final work incorporates the ancient Y-chromosome data. It also reads much better and includes several several studies that rolled out in 2020/2021. I am now working on the bibliography and supplementary data tables.
September 8, 2021. Working on editing my 2020 resource guide. Lately I have been preparing maps and tables. I came across a recent paper (Bocherens and Drucker 2021) that utilizes a novel approach to determine the diet of Neanderthals and modern humans who lived in Europe during marine isotope stage 3. Mammoth steak was definitely on the menu. I have also submitted by Austronesian advantage paper for open access publication. I will keep you informed.
August 4, 2021. I applied for funding to that I can publish a peer-reviewed monograph of my research. They just notified me that I survived the first “cut.” A final decision will come in mid-October. The editing work continues. I am finishing a diagram that presents diversification of the Y-chromosome, from Adam to the main haplogroups. It’s astonishing that the Y-chromosome nomenclature still works twenty years later.
July 24, 2021. Editing work continues. I want to refine the presentation of data before submitting the work to a professional editor. The presentation of data not only includes text, but tables and diagrams as well. I was able to obtain a monograph published by Leonid Khlobystin (1931-1988), a prominent archeologist in the former Soviet Union. Much of what we know about the prehistory of Taymyr Peninsula was posthumously published in Russian in 1998 and a 2005 English translation. Anyway, his work helps to strengthen the reindeer hypothesis.
June 21, 2021. I decided to add an extra chapter, and place the discussion of C1-F3396 in Chapter 6, and C2-M217 in Chapter 7.
June 5, 2021. In the last month or so I have completed a third revision of Chapter 2, 3, and 4, and with that, haplogroups A, B and D. I am awaiting a decision on a request for funding so I can publish my book. Stay tuned …
May 11, 2021. The second revision continues and I just finished work on chapter 17 and haplogroup R. I will now revise the presentation of data in several chapters. Chapters 2-17 will start with the contemporary distribution of a haplogroup and this will be followed by a discussion of its evolutionary history. My goal remains the same – a peer reviewed monograph worth of acquisition by an academic library.
March 1, 2021. Work on the second revision continues. The ancient DNA is useful, but it is certainly not the panacea envisioned by some researchers. I am currently working on chapter 15, haplogroup O. Also, I recently applied for funding with the goal of publishing my work as a peer-reviewed monograph. I will keep you posted.
January 2, 2021. I am currently revising the resource guide I posted early last year. The revision is necessary because I would like to incorporate ancient DNA into the final product.
September 21, 2020. I have neglected the website for a long time. Sorry. I recently posted three short papers on Researchgate. I am also revising my resource guide for academic publishing. I have also revised my CV which you can find on the “About Dr. St. Clair” tab.
June 11, 2020. My I currently revising my manuscript with the goal of publishing my work in 2021.
February 28, 2020. I decided to remove the “Series 5 Papers” from the website. I think a book-length research guide is a better approach to managing the data that I present.
February 11, 2020. Last week I posted a pre-print version of the 2020 research guide on this website and on Researchgate. I aim to publish this resource as an open-access book.
January 11, 2020. I am attempting to combine the Series 5 papers into a single monograph.
December 6, 2019. In March of 2017 I decided revise my first resource guide and now I am done. The results are in the “Series 5 Papers” folder on the main menu. It took far longer than expected. And there is so much more that I want to do …
November 28, 2019.
I am currently reviewing the haplogroup reports with the goal of correcting the typos and cleaning up an organizational mess. Furthermore, I am incorporating the reports into a series of papers that explore language prehistory from a Y-Chromosome perspective. The series will posted to the website at the end of December 2019. Based on my work over the last three years, triangulated Y-chromosome based modeling provides the best empirically driven models of language prehistory.
October 22, 2019.
I have changed the design of my webpage. It is now easier to find the haplogroup reports. I have also decided against lumping all the reports into a single document resource guide. Rather, the haplogroup reports will build a series of short reports that explain language variation and the prehistory of language. Check the “papers” folder regularly.
October 21, 2019.
The update for R-M207 has just been posted. This completes my analysis of the Y-chromosome haplogroups. Finally, after two and a half years! I think palaeogenomic modeling is a very disturbing development. This has changed the direction that I initially wanted to take with this project. We linguists need more reliable models to investigate linguistic prehistory. I aim to offer a triangulated Y-chromosome perspective.
October 1, 2019.
I am actively working on the update for haplogroup R-M207. I hope to post an update around the first of November.
July 31, 2019. The update for Q-M242 has finally been posted. A flood of data has appeared in the last two years. As a result, the project took longer than expected. That being said, more data are still a good thing. In the next section (5.17) we return to the Old World. The discussion features the R-M207 haplogroup. This update should take about three months.
July 3, 2019. The update for Q-M242 is not completed. The usual story – far more complicated than expected. Please return in about two weeks.
June 2, 2019. Late, as usual … I am still working on the update for haplogroup Q-M242. As many of you know, this marker is especially useful for deciphering the history of Native American languages. During the last three years a tremendous amount of data has been produced and this is the reason for the delay. Better resolution of downstream variants helps. The ancient DNA data is also useful. Anyway, I hope to complete this stage of the project by July 1, 2019.
May 6, 2019. I am actively working on the update for Q-M242. I hope to post it in a month. This haplogroup represents an especially important mutation for deciphering the population history of Native Americans. A lot has changed over the last three years. We have far more downstream mutations for Q-M242. Additionally, we have far more ancient DNA samples.
March 25, 2019. It has been four months since the last update and now I can finally post the one for main haplogroup O-M175. It was a massive undertaking. Lots of genetic data. Lots of languages. Lots of geography. While working on the update, I found Austronesian to be an especially interesting topic. Everything about this language family is huge. The number of speakers. The number of languages. The geographic distribution. Why? Agriculture and/or trade are only part of the picture. Read Section 5.15.10 of the update for all the details. I am now working on the update for the Q-M242 main haplogroup. This is a useful marker for explaining language variation in the Americas. And it looks like my timing is just right. A major study for the haplogroup was just published. Anyway, check back in a month or so …..
February 23, 2019. The update for O-M175 is taking much longer than expected and it looks like I cannot post it until around April 1. I regret the delays. On the other hand, the amount of informative data for linguists is a positive development. Another problem is that I need to find more time. I currently work about 30 hours a week on the project. Anyway, please check the website regularly for updates.
February 2, 2019. I am running late with the update for O-M175. I hope to have something posted in about three weeks.
January 15. 2019. I attended a conference last week. It was hosted by the Max Planck Society. Anyway, I am very grateful that they invited me. Many thanks also to Dr. Hovhannisyan, my co-presenter. It is nice to see that I am not alone in the world, that genetic data are a useful tool for linguistic research. Now I am turning my attention back to Haplogroup O-M175 and hope to post an update around the first of February.
December 12, 2018. Seasons greeting! The second revision is progressing slower than expected. A final second revision will not be posted until the end of 2019. If you would like to see my work plan, please click on this link: Work Plan
Between January 7 and January 11, 2019, I will attend a Transeurasian conference in Jena, Germany. This hypothesis was discussed in my update for haplogroup C-M130. Here is a link: Second Hg C-M130 Update
November 6, 2018. I just posted an update for the N-M231 haplogroup. Among the significant findings is that haplogroup N-M231 provides additional support for Peter Bellwood and his Early Farming Dispersal Hypothesis. Another development stems from analysis of ancient DNA data for the C-M130 and NO-M214 mutations. These data suggest that during the Paleolithic, modern humans colonized East Asia via a second “northern migration” route through central Eurasia. Most discussions favor a single migration along the South Asian coastline. I am now working on haplogroup O-M175, an important East Asian genetic marker for deciphering the prehistory of the Sino-Tibetan, Tai-Kadai, Hmong-Mien, Austro-Asiatic and Austronesian language families.
September 10, 2018. I live in Germany, but my works allows me to take “mental excursions” to far-off regions of the globe. I spent the last two months hopping back and forth between Island Southeast Asia and Australia. People have lived here for a very long time and we find an astonishing amount of linguistic diversity. To learn more, the reader is invited to review two updates that were posted on September 10, 2018. One update explores unresolved mutations within the KR-M526 paragroup. The other utilizes the M-P256 and S-B254 haplogroups to decipher the origins of Australian and Trans New Guinea languages.
Now we leave the tropics. The next destination is Northern Eurasia. Our next update will feature haplogroup N-M231, an important marker for deciphering the evolution of Uralic languages. It should be posted around October 15, 2018.
July 12, 2018. The update for Haplogroups L-M20 and T-M184 has been posted. Both are important mutations for deciphering the Southwest Asian Neolithic. Around the middle of September two additional updates should appear, one for unclassified LR-M9 mutations, and another for M-P256 and S-B254. These mutations help to decipher genetic and linguistic variation in Island Southeast Asia, Australia and Oceania.
June 11, 2018. Late as usual … The update for Haplogroup J-M304 has been posted. I am trying something new by including a table of contents. The discussion explores the origins of Afro-Asiatic, Indo-European and Dravidian languages. Topics include the Black Sea flood, Neolithic farmers, Central Asian steppe nomads, and the Tarim Basin. The next update features Haplogroup L-M20. Look for it around the middle of July.
April 25, 2018. The updates page has been revised. Each update now has its own sub-page.
April 20, 2018. The update for I-M170 has been posted. This is an important mutation for exploring linguistic diversity in Europe. We visit Scandinavia, the Pyrenees Mountains, the Balkans, and Sardinia. The report includes a discussion of Holocene reindeer hunters, Ice Age refugia, and ancient DNA from the Paleolithic. The next update features haplogroup J-M304, which promises to be a major undertaking. My goal is to post it around the first of June.
April 7, 2018. I am actively working on the update for I-M170. It is taking longer than originally expected. I hope to have it posted by April 15.
March 12, 2018. The update for H-M2713 has been posted. He, we explore the genetic history of South Asia and the evolution of Indo-Aryan, Dravidian and Austro-Asiatic languages within this region. We also discuss Central Asian steppe nomads, Tocharians, Sardinians and European Romani. Stay tuned for next update, which features Haplogroup I-M170. It should be posted around April 2, 2018. We will explore language variation in Europe.
February 12, 2018. The update for G-M201 has been posted. The update explores theoretical approaches to the Indo-European problem. The update also identifies the putative homeland of Dravidian languages. Finally, language diversity in the Caucasus region is also explored. The next update will be for Haplogroup H-M2713. This represents an important mutation for exploring language variation in India. The target date for releasing this update is March 12, 2018.
January 22, 2018. The update for C-M130 has finally been posted! The next update will be for Haplogroup G-M201 with a target date of February 12, 2018. I apologize for the length of time that was required for Haplogroup C-M130. I also regret to inform my readers that the second edition of my resource guide will not be released until around January 1, 2019. On the other hand, it is rather exciting to witness the unfolding potential of population genetics as a tool for linguistic research. The amount of data is far more than originally anticipated.
January 9, 2018. I am still working on the update for Haplogroup C-M130. Please give me a few more weeks.
December 13, 2017. For a month now I have been working on the update for Haplogroup C-M130. This update is taking a little longer than anticipated. I should be finished in about a week. If you would like to receive notice of the updates as they are posted, please send me an e-mail.
November 16, 2017. The update for Haplogroup E-M96 has just been posted. My understanding of the marker has definitely improved since I prepared the first edition of my resource guide. This haplogroup has, indeed, a rather complicated phylogeny. Consequently, the update has required far more time than originally anticipated.
October 10, 2017. The update for Haplogroup D has just been posted. Today this mutation is confined to East Asia. It tells the story of human settlement of the region and stands as the genetic legacy of hunter-gatherers that roamed prehistoric Japan and China. I have also developed a working out-of-Africa model. Multi-disciplinary perspectives from the fields of archaeology, genetics and the geosciences point to an out-of-Africa migration about 100 thousand years ago. I suggest this event sets the minimum age of language. An update for Haplogroup E-M96 will be posted in about a month.
September 2, 2017. Revision of the first resource guide is underway and a draft update for Haplogroup B has just been added to the Updates page. Now it is time to leave Africa and discuss Haplogroup D, an important marker for populations in East Asia. As this project progresses, one thing becomes more and more obvious. Linguists who focus on non-Indo-European languages seem to have a lot more freedom to seek perspectives from other disciplines, such as the archaeology, anthropology, climatology, geology, ethnology, botany, zoology and genetics. Based on my personal experience, linguists focusing on Indo-European languages are expected to accept, without question, an archaic 19th century model of language prehistory that is nothing more than phonological fantasy.
August 9, 2017. A draft Haplogroup A update has been added to the Updates page. This update will be added to the second edition of the resource guide scheduled for release in February of next year. Haplogroup B is currently being revised and a draft update should be posted in about a month.
July 2, 2017. A short paper and a revised phylogenetic diagram for R1b-343 have been added to the Updates page. This data will be included in the upcoming second edition of the resource guide.
June 2, 2017. The following paper has been added to the Updates page: “Ancient DNA and Models of Linguistic Prehistory.” Linguists should avoid using ancient DNA studies to build models of linguistic prehistory.
May 18, 2017. A slightly revised version of the Haplogroup N update was posted in the Updates page to correct a typographical error. A draft version of the phylogenetic tree for the 2018 revised resource guide was posted in the Updates page.
May 4, 2017. A new “Updates” page has been added to the menu. This page showcases revisions that will be incorporated into the second edition of the Resource Guide. Current updates are for Haplogroup N and a paper on Co-Evolution. If you want to be notified of future updates, please use the contact form and request that you be added to the mailing list.
March 23, 2017. The Resource Guide is currently under revision and a second edition will appear by February of 2018. The second edition will incorporate new studies published in 2016 and 2017 as well as suggestions made by reviewers.