Vort Posted November 28, 2012 Report Share Posted November 28, 2012 (edited) Do you pronounce "wh-" as "hw-" or simply as "w-"? Are the following word pairs homophones when you say them?"What" and "watt""Where" and "wear""When" and "wen""Why" and "Y""Which" and "witch"I remember specifically being taught in elementary school that "wh-" was pronounced "hw-". Everyone in my family (brothers and sisters) speak this way. But an in-law once commented that we were the only ones, and no one else pronounced "what" as "hwat". I doubt he is literally correct, but how common or uncommon is the "wh-" pronunciation? Edited November 28, 2012 by Vort Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slamjet Posted November 28, 2012 Report Share Posted November 28, 2012 Wha? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MorningStar Posted November 28, 2012 Report Share Posted November 28, 2012 Hwat the hweck? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maureen Posted November 28, 2012 Report Share Posted November 28, 2012 I've always pronounced the "wh" of words as if the "h" is silent. I've never heard of the "hw" way unless this is the same way Stewie Griffin pronounces it. M. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted November 28, 2012 Report Share Posted November 28, 2012 As a wanna-be singer, I find myself fighting the tendency to pronounce it "hw" when singing. I always thought that was a rural Idaho dialect thing I picked up from my mom. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anddenex Posted November 28, 2012 Report Share Posted November 28, 2012 I am in accordance with the same understanding as Maureen. I remember being taught that the "h" was silent also. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dravin Posted November 28, 2012 Report Share Posted November 28, 2012 (edited) All of those words are homophones with respect to the w/wh for me. Edited November 28, 2012 by Dravin Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vort Posted November 28, 2012 Author Report Share Posted November 28, 2012 D'oh. I thought "homophones" and typed "synonyms". Corrected. I hate when I do that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
classylady Posted November 28, 2012 Report Share Posted November 28, 2012 Do you pronounce "wh-" as "hw-" or simply as "w-"? Are the following word pairs homophones when you say them?"What" and "watt""Where" and "wear""When" and "wen""Why" and "Y""Which" and "witch"I remember specifically being taught in elementary school that "wh-" was pronounced "hw-". Everyone in my family (brothers and sisters) speak this way. But an in-law once commented that we were the only ones, and no one else pronounced "what" as "hwat". I doubt he is literally correct, but how common or uncommon is the "wh-" pronunciation?I've never pronounced "wh-" with "hw-". I'm originally from California, so I don't believe I have some strange dialect.Except for "what" and "watt", the list of word pairs are homophones for me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
annewandering Posted November 28, 2012 Report Share Posted November 28, 2012 I was taught it is wh, a sound that is like blowing out when saying it. What is blow wh at. Watt is just wa tt. I have never heard it was supposed to be hw. Ever. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dravin Posted November 28, 2012 Report Share Posted November 28, 2012 BTW, if people want to do this conversation all technical like: International Phonetic Alphabet - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vort Posted November 28, 2012 Author Report Share Posted November 28, 2012 I was taught it is wh, a sound that is like blowing out when saying it. What is blow wh at. Watt is just wa tt. I have never heard it was supposed to be hw. Ever.Well, that's what I mean by "hw". I mean it's more a voiceless blow, aspirated like an "h" but with the lips formed to pronounce "oo". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anddenex Posted November 28, 2012 Report Share Posted November 28, 2012 I've never pronounced "wh-" with "hw-". I'm originally from California, so I don't believe I have some strange dialect.Except for "what" and "watt", the list of word pairs are homophones for me.Where in the US would you need to be from in order to be considered as one with a "strange dialect"...hmm?Utah Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted November 28, 2012 Report Share Posted November 28, 2012 Well, that's what I mean by "hw". I mean it's more a voiceless blow, aspirated like an "h" but with the lips formed to pronounce "oo".I had to take several semesters of speech classes as part of our yearly English courses... and the h is not silent. I'm not exactly sure what you mean by hw... but, if it's the same as wh (blowing air while saying the w) then that's what I was taught.In my speech class, you hold a piece of paper close to your mouth and say Watt - the paper shouldn't move. But when you say What - it is supposed to move, even if you don't hear the difference.This is also the same difference as the Filipino letter P or T versus the American letter P or T. The Filipino P or T will not move the paper. The American way of pronouncing those letters is "with air" so that when you say Talk, you're actually saying T-h-alk or when you say Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled pepper, the paper should be moving constantly. So, in reverse, you can tell the speaker is not Filipino when you hear "air blowing out" with the letters.Disclaimer: My high school speech teacher is not very good with her speech. I caught her reading "The day is cold and dark and dreary... and the wend is neever weary." when she was not paying attention to what she's saying...And then, I have this World History teacher who brags that he's better at English than our speech teacher who said in class... "The caucasian race are noted for their high and naroo checkboones."LOL. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Backroads Posted November 28, 2012 Report Share Posted November 28, 2012 When I was teaching 1st grade, I taught them the "hw" sound, but never really enforced it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dravin Posted November 28, 2012 Report Share Posted November 28, 2012 When I was teaching 1st grade, I taught them the "hw" sound, but never really enforced it.Did you enforce the "t" in mountain? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Backroads Posted November 28, 2012 Report Share Posted November 28, 2012 Did you enforce the "t" in mountain? Hey, I taught in Utah. I wasn't that wild a teacher. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pam Posted November 28, 2012 Report Share Posted November 28, 2012 After a lengthy choir rehearsal where we have to do the hw thing..I find my self doing it..but only for a short time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anddenex Posted November 28, 2012 Report Share Posted November 28, 2012 Hey, I taught in Utah. I wasn't that wild a teacher.Yes, in Utah, where creek is crick...hehe Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
john doe Posted November 29, 2012 Report Share Posted November 29, 2012 This is America. We use the 'h'. And we don't say 'woo' when we speak the word 'who' either. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sali Posted November 29, 2012 Report Share Posted November 29, 2012 I have only really heard the 'hw' sound in Idaho and Utah. It is not used in the South where I live and is never used in the UK either. It is very prominent whilst listening to General Conference.:) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Connie Posted November 29, 2012 Report Share Posted November 29, 2012 My mother says she was taught to pronouce "wh" as "hw." My hubby does it too, and his mother taught English for years. I think it sounds funny. My understanding is that the Old English word was actually spelled with the H first. I found this blog post that says the same. It was an interesting read. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anddenex Posted November 29, 2012 Report Share Posted November 29, 2012 This is America. We use the 'h'. And we don't say 'woo' when we speak the word 'who' either.Thus "what" would actually be "hat", the "w" silent, and "when" would be "hen", and "which" would be "hich". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bini Posted November 29, 2012 Report Share Posted November 29, 2012 Anatess, I totally follow you on that - ha! I've heard people pronounce it that way, especially, here in Utah. Haven't noticed it many other places, if, at all.. I have a British accent and although I maintain most British pronunciations, I found that I go along with pronouncing "hurricane" as "hurr'can", just like the locals in southern Utah :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted November 29, 2012 Report Share Posted November 29, 2012 Anatess, I totally follow you on that - ha!I've heard people pronounce it that way, especially, here in Utah. Haven't noticed it many other places, if, at all.. I have a British accent and although I maintain most British pronunciations, I found that I go along with pronouncing "hurricane" as "hurr'can", just like the locals in southern Utah :)LOL!!! It took me a while to learn to say hurricane (the way they say it in Florida) instead of you-ri-cane - which I would still rather say Typhoon because it is much easier to pronounce. My mom, of course, says Tai-poon.I just fell off my chair laughing thinking about my mother... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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