Re: IE *p and *b

>
> > ph- is a result of *sw- lenition in Irish (*swesor > fiúr), not of
> > *sp-. Sp- was never lenited in Irish neither now nor in Old Irish.
>
> Well, how then do you explain the word in question?
>

*p has become w after *s- and then it was treated as any inhereted *sw-
(Thurneysen actually says that *sp- and *sw- treatment is identical).
Apparently all combinatorial changes of *p (like *pt > cht or *opn >
oun ) happened before *p disappeared.