| This dissertation reflects the following five research goals: (1) to create a database of all published inscribed Indus artifacts (Electronic Corpus of Indus Texts or ECIT); (2) to create an interactive computer program to aid in the analysis of the texts (Interactive Concordance of Indus Texts or ICIT); (3) to create a comprehensive sign list for the Indus script; (4) to analyze the Indus texts in order to discover their structures and patterns of sign use; (5) to determine as closely as possible the identity of the Indus Language. The ECIT database lists 5643 artifacts with Indus texts and/or iconography. As far as possible each record gives the details (size, find spot, material, design etc.) and photographs for every item. From the ECIT 3835 artifacts with at least one recognizable Indus sign were transferred to the ICIT. These texts are the basis of the analysis found in this dissertation, especially for the sign list (Chapter 3 and Appendix I). Counts for each sign by site, artifact type, and associated iconography were generated using the ICIT program (v1.59). A subset of the ICIT containing only the complete texts were used for the initial, medial and terminal counts. The structural analysis revealed that the Indus texts may have a Verb initial syntax and that word construction proceeded using a variety of prefixes, infixes and affixes. The morphological patterns do not match those of either Indo-Aryan or Proto-Dravidian. Proto- or Para-Munda could not be ruled out, but could not be verified. Language X still remains a possibility. Two tests of possible decipherments are offered in the final pages. |
