Problems with DLW's "Motivating the Root Restrictions of PIE"

[David L. White]

        The problem (that I see) with reinterpreting voicing (in obstruents)
as pharyngealization is that in addition to predicting a /b/-gap it would
also predict a /gw/-gap, which does not occur.  This problem can, I think,
be solved by positing that the labio-velars where "originally" (at the time
the root restrictions evolved) uvulars, and were only later reanalyzed as
labio-velars, due to some phonetic similarity involving lowered F2 in both
cases, though uvulars are primarily characterized by raised F1, and only
secondarily by lowered F2.

                                                        Dr. David L. White