Of the various arguments advanced by Austin (Lang. 18.22–5) for regarding Armenian as an Anatolian language, undoubtedly the strongest is his brilliant interpretation of initial h in a number of Armenian words as the continuant of an IH laryngeal. Since in the present state of our knowledge the varying development of the laryngeals in Anatolian and IE proper is the chief phonological canon by which the two branches are distinguished, this point alone goes far in establishing Armenian as Anatolian. The only weakness of this argument, perhaps, is that, in its treatment of post-vocalic laryngeals, Armenian seems to follow the pattern of IE proper, rather than of Hittite.