Unveiling the Enigmatic Origins of Sardinian Toponyms

A meta-study of Sardinian toponyms reveals that certain place names exhibit phonetic sequences inconsistent with Proto-Indo-European (PIE) roots, suggesting possible pre-IE or non-IE linguistic influences. The research employed historical phonetic chain analysis to identify these anomalies, such as s(a)rd-, kar-, -ini, and [θ]-. While PIE-based theories offer plausible reconstructions, they often overlook contextual factors like hydro-geo-morphology. Conversely, pre-IE/non-IE theories remain speculative due to limited historical data on the Paleo-Sardinian language. The study highlights the complementary yet distinct merits of both linguistic approaches in understanding Sardinian toponymy.

Ong, B. M. Q., & Perono Cacciafoco, F. (2022). Unveiling the Enigmatic Origins of Sardinian Toponyms. Languages, 7(2), 131. https://doi.org/10.3390/languages7020131