PIE Plosive System

[Dennis Philps]

Part of original message :

>        There are three facts that any posited system must explain:

>        1)  The absence of roots of the form /DeD/.
>        2)  The absence of roots of the forms /TeDH/ and /DHeT/.
>        3)  The absence of/b/.

Based on Benveniste (Origines...1935:170), surely posited systems must be able
to explain the absence of *any* /CeC/ root where C is identical? In the
canonical root form, B. states that "C can be any consonant provided that C-
is *different* from -C" (translation and emphasis mine). Benveniste goes on to
say that the only combination not found in PIE is /voiceless + (e) + voiced
aspirated/, but he does not explain why. One hypothesis might be that this is
because other than just phonological constraints are at work here.

Dennis.