Re: The gap of *b in IE

--- In cybalist@yahoogroups.com, glen gordon <glengordon01@...> wrote:

>
> Richard:
> > I am not aware of any bright ideas appearing from
> > Nostratic comparisons.
>
> I simply take Bomhard's view, with some changes.
> I consider the absence of *b in IE to be caused by
> the absence of ejective *p? in the sound system,
> a sound which is apparently uncommon and unstable.
>
> So if Nostratic even had *p?, I figure it would
> have merged early on with *p in Eurasiatic (Sumerian,
> Dravidian, Steppe). It appears to be the most
> efficient idea so far.
>

Sihler suggests /b/ and /w/ might have merged into one phoneme (as in
Spanish), now represented by /w/.


Torsten