non-IE/Germanic/h

[Brian M. Scott]

Rick Mc Callister wrote:

>         Although textbooks don't mention it [at least as far as I
> remember], I've wondered if there was a /ph/ stage, given that standard /f/
> is often pronounced /ph/ and it would balance out /bh/. So maybe it was /f
> > ph > h > 0/.

Ralph Penny suggests that in OSp before the 13th c. or so /P/
(representing Vulg. Lat. F-) was realized as [W] before [w], as [h]
before all syllabic vowels and [j], and as [P] before /r/.  ([P] is the
voiceless bilabial fricative (phi), and [W] is the voiceless
labial-velar fricative (inverted-w).)  He further suggests that only in
later OSp were the allophones [W] and [P] modified to [f].

Brian M. Scott