Re: [tied] Laryngeals revisited

> > >h1 was earlier /h/ and then /?/.
> > >h2 was earlier /x/ and then /h/.
> >
> > Wouldn't this have led to a collapseof h1 and h2?
>
> I don't think so. It seems that h1 became /?/ before h2 became /h/.
> In fact, h2 may not have become /h/ until sometime after IE began to
> break apart.

In that case, then there must be a need to create LEVELS of
Proto-Indo-European based on approximate dates. Level 1 or PIE-1 could
be the earliest traceable state of PIE, Level 2 or PIE-2 would be
slightly later, until PIE-n (n being some number), the latest possible
state of PIE before break-up.
This is just an idea for practicality, but when being able to trace
back to several degrees of origin, wouldn't it be more useful?

> It seems like there may have been anticipatory rounding (not an
> uncommon phenomenon) in vowels preceding labialized phonemes in
> closed syllables. Admittedly, we do not see this in the
> traditionally-reconstructed proto-language, and nor do we see it in
> the daughter languages. However, it would help to explain some
> inconsistencies in root-noun vocalism, such as *(H)re:gs 'king,
> ruler' vs. *(H)o:kWs 'eye' and *wo:kWs 'word, voice' (however cf.
> Greek (w)epos < *wékWos) without needing laryngeals.

Are there any current examples of this kind of rounding? Say, in
English or German or other modern IE languages?