Re: [tied] Greek labiovelars

On Thu, 16 Mar 2006 11:07:49 +0100 (CET), Mate Kapović
<mkapovic@...> wrote:

>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^].

It does in some dialects (Iraqi IIRC).

>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).

As it is, some Arabic dialects have *q > g, to compensate
for the g-gap, one might say.

=======================
Miguel Carrasquer Vidal
mcv@...