Re: [tied] Labiovelars

>I have a difficulty in really believing that such a minimal
> phonetic difference as it have to be between a labiovelar (The velar
> and labial component articulated simultaneously) and the sequence kW
> could constitute a phonemic difference.

Remember the difference is also prosodic: between a heavy preceding
syllable in the case of -k|w- (vowel followed by two consonants, so that
the previous syllable is closed) and a light preceding syllable in the case
of -kW- (vowel followed by one single, although labialised consonant.) So
rhythmically it would have stood out more than our transcription suggests.

peter