Ritorno su una strada antica. Un esperimento di oggi su un problema di ieri

Abstract

In this study, we examine some Indo-European words (e.g., Lat. lupus, Got. wulfs; Lat. loquor, Skr. lapati etc.), that include a labial instead of the expected labiovelar consonant. We hypothesize that the Indo-European unvoiced labiovelar received a differential treatment depending on socio-cultural parameters. A similar explanation has been provided for the development of the Latin diphthong “au” in Romance languages.