English /hw-/ > /w-/

[Mark Hale]

I apparently inadvertently sent this only to Prof. Trask:
 
>Date: Fri, 13 Sep 1996 16:59:20 -0400
>To: Larry Trask <larryt at cogs.susx.ac.uk>
>From: Mark Hale <hale1 at alcor.concordia.ca>
>Subject: Re: English /hw-/ > /w-/
>
>
>Just two further notes on Trask's /hw-/ > /w-/ observations. First, its
>Indo-European source does not contain a "cluster" *kw- but rather a
>unitary labiovelar segment. There is no reason to believe its OE
>descendent is anything but a single segment. Second, OE /hw/ (and /hl/,
/hr/, /hn/, etc.)
>were almost certainly initial voiceless resonants (rather than sequences).
>The change involved is that from voiceless resonant > voiced resonant (not
>"cluster simplification" and not "h-loss").
>
>Mark
>