Has there been any speculation on whether they might be distantly related to kobolds?

I remember thinking when I first saw kobolds in 1.0 that they were XIV's version of XI's goblins, but then I found out that goblins were in there too. Same thing with Amalj'aa and Mamool Ja.

They both have long ears and wear face-covering masks, and the kobolds are miners like XI's moblins were. And many people think "kobold" and "goblin" come from the same word, in the real world.