Paradigm Shift on the Altiplano: How Classical Baḍugu Rewrites South Dravidian Historical Linguistics

Abstract

For more than a century, mainstream Dravidian comparative philology has operated under a restrictive, plains-centric model that miscategorises Baḍugu as a modern, post-medieval dialect or a subordinate offshoot of Kannada or Tamil. This paper fundamentally deconstructs that assumption by isolating a mathematically precise matrix of numerous classical sound laws, geomorphic terms, and psycho-somatic equations documented through thirty years of exhaustive independent field research on the Nilgiri Massif (Nī-Āla-Giri). By verifying structural anomalies—including the Initial Labial Plosive Preservation Law, the Intervocalic Velar/Retroflex Gemination Rejection Law, Archaic Monosyllabic Suffix Stripping, and Exclusive Remote Masculine Pronominal Extraction—this study proves that Baḍugu is an independent, highly conservative classical language that diverged from Proto-South-Dravidian long before the onset of historical lowland palatalization and labial-softening drifts. Consequently, Baḍugu stands uniquely ready to completely rewrite the historical trajectory of the Dravidian linguistic family, forcing a total reconfiguration of the ancestral South Dravidian root matrix.