AustroTai
AustroTai, or Austro-Tai, is a proposed macro-language family that would unite the Austronesian languages of the Pacific and Indian Ocean regions with the Tai-Kadai languages of Southeast Asia under a single genetic lineage. In this view, both branches would descend from Proto-AustroTai, a reconstructed ancestor language. The term appears in historical and comparative linguistics, but the proposal remains controversial and not widely accepted.
History and reception: The AustroTai hypothesis emerged in the mid-20th century and has persisted in some scholarly
Evidence and challenges: Proponents point to a subset of basic vocabulary, certain phonological correspondences, and shared
Current status and implications: Today, AustroTai remains a speculative and contested hypothesis. If proven, it would
See also: Austronesian languages; Tai-Kadai languages; Austroasiatic languages; long-range language relationships.