this post was submitted on 20 Nov 2024
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And why is the W silent anyways?

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[–] cybervseas 11 points 3 weeks ago (4 children)

By the argument, is the w in "two" actually silent? What would it sounds like when pronounced? I think it would sound like "two" already does.

[–] cannedtuna 25 points 3 weeks ago (2 children)

It would sound like “twu” as in “twu wuv”

[–] [email protected] 7 points 3 weeks ago
[–] [email protected] 7 points 3 weeks ago

Lol.

OK, Impressive Clergyman!

[–] [email protected] 12 points 3 weeks ago

It sounds exactly like "to" which means the w is silent.

It is not pronounced at all like any of the other example words given.

[–] over_clox 8 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

I don't necessarily think so. If the W was pronounced, I think it would sound something more like 'tawoo' or 'teewoo'

[–] TropicalDingdong 10 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)
[–] spankmonkey 5 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)
[–] BatrickPateman 3 points 3 weeks ago

Spell out that thang!

[–] [email protected] 6 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

I wonder if perhaps an older dialect used to pronounce the W. Lots of words have changed spelling or pronunciation over the years, so I'm curious if that might be the case with "two", too.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 3 weeks ago* (last edited 3 weeks ago)

I wonder if perhaps an older dialect used to pronounce the W.

That's correct, and it isn't even that old - based on the [o:]→[u:] change it should be from 1500 or so. And the modern Scots cognate ⟨twa⟩ /twɑ:/~/twɔ:/ still has it.