Re: [tied] Greek labiovelars

On Sri, ožujak 15, 2006 11:07 pm, Richard Wordingham reče:

> There's also the fact that some gaps in phonetic systems are stabler
> than others. For example, if a language has only 5 of /p/, /t/, /k/,
> /b/, /d/ and /g/, the most likely missing consonant is /p/ or /g/.
> Classical Arabic lacks both!

And there is an example of an "illogical" development - Semitic *p >
Arabic f but Semitic *b remains b and Semitic *g > Arabic [dz^] while
Semitic *k does not become [c^]. I am not implying that Arabic would then
be without p, b, k, g generally, it could simply derive a new /b/ and /k/
from another source (for instance *q > k or whatever).

Mate