Re: Introducing myself to the list

Danny Wier wrote:

> [...] where
> the Neogrammarians (the traditional reconstructionists) had p/b/bh, t/d/dh
> etc. (the 'Sanskrit model'), Gamqrelidze and Ivanov have promoted an
> alternative theory where the stop system is p/p'/b, t/t'/d, where C' is an
> ejective (as in Georgian, Ethiopian Semitic and some Armenian and Ossetic
> dialects) and the other two stops have aspirated and unaspirated allophones
> (th-t, dh-d).
Which neatly accounts for why b- hardly exists in classical PIE, contrary to
all normal evidence which says that if you lack one of p- or b-, it's p- you lack
(Arabic, e.g.).  Having p'- be rare doesn't violate any norm I know of.

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