--- In phoNet@yahoogroups.com, Miguel Carrasquer <mcv@w...> wrote:
> On Sat, 01 Nov 2003 16:38:13 +0000, Richard Wordingham
> <richard.wordingham@n...> wrote:
>
> >A wild possibility is /kt/ > /xt/ > /ft/ > /pt/.
>
> The stage /xt/ is also valid for Western Romance (/kt/ > /xt/
> /yt/) and
> perhaps Italian (/kt/ > /xt/ > /tt/). The step /xt/ > /ft/ is
trivial, and
> indeed attested in Albanian (lucta -> luftë). The step /ft/ > /pt/
in
> Romanian also offers no phonetic problems, although /f/ does ot
otherwise
> yield /p/ in Romanian (only in the clusters /pt/, /ps/ < */ft/,
*/fs/).
>
> >This
> >theory does not explain /Nn/ > /mn/.
>
> It's analogous to the step /xt/ > /ft/.
>
> For /N/, steps 1. (fricativization), and 3. (defricativization) are
> inoperative.
>

Beside of this there is no trace of any "f" there . And how an "f"
defricatised will have "p" in Rom? Remember , we know just an
alternation for "f" and this is "h" only when "f" followed by "i".

Alex