What?

[joshwriting]

Most words that start with the letters "wh" are pronounced "hw," as in "hweel." Not "weel."

OTOH, Welcome is NOT pronounced "Hwelcome," no matter how many folks tell you otherwise!

Comments

[ratesjul.livejournal.com]

Is this Bostonion, or something?

[star-wizard.livejournal.com]

I think he means that saying "hw" gives the breathier sound. I was always told to "say the 'h'".

My father makes jokes when you say "you know what?" If you say wat, rather than hwat (as Josh is spelling it), he says "yes, his name is on every lightbulb" (Watt).

Welcome has no h. Why *would* you say it with one?

[star-wizard.livejournal.com]

This specific pronunciation was always more important to my mother than my father. I don't know if this is because she was brought up in Oklahoma, or because she was brought up in a very proper, upper class family.

[hillary-annette.livejournal.com]

"Welcome has no h. Why *would* you say it with one?"

I was going to ask the same thing.

Welcome

[joshwriting.livejournal.com]

I have no idea hwy one would say "Hwelcome."

I just know that Hwen folks are adopting airs, they of-ten do add the h to 'welcome!'

not bostonian

[flawed-creation.livejournal.com]

my relatives in Texas pronounce "wh" as "hw", but "welcome" doesn't have an "h" in it anyway.

[dragongstone.livejournal.com]

The exception to that being "who".

[ladyhoshi.livejournal.com]

i hever realized the wh issue.
i say it should become a basis for a political platform.
i pronounce it as close to how it is spelt as possible
like the germans.

[camlina.livejournal.com]

(smile)
You're weird.

:P