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Help[Opinions] Re: Whaylen
in reply to a message by Chanel
I am someone who prnounces Wh- differently from W- so to me this is not just a spelling variation of Waylon but would change the pronunciation. But it's likely the parents are people who have lost the distinction between wh- and w- in their speech and so think they've just come up with a "unique" way to spell Waylon.
Because of the possible pronunciation confusion, I would advise against Whaylen if asked.
Because of the possible pronunciation confusion, I would advise against Whaylen if asked.
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Replies
How would you pronounce it?
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Originally the "wh" represented a "hw" sound. You pronounce the breathy "h" sound in front of the "w" sound. That meant that pairs of words like white/Wight, whales/Wales, which/witch, whine/wine, etc. were NOT pronounced the same, but the first in each pair has the "h" sound in the beginning.
As language changes a lot of people seem to be losing the distinction and are pronouncing the "wh" words with just the "w" sound. But there are still people like myself who make a distinct difference in the pronunciation and notice it when other people don't.
As language changes a lot of people seem to be losing the distinction and are pronouncing the "wh" words with just the "w" sound. But there are still people like myself who make a distinct difference in the pronunciation and notice it when other people don't.
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Thank you! I heard wh pronounced as hw in some period dramas, and wondered why that was the case. This is interesting as always :)
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