wh [hw]

Guest   Wed May 21, 2008 1:05 pm GMT
<<she said without qualification that "w" could not alliterate with "wh".>>

She should be told that "n" can't alliterate with "kn" and "r" can't alliterate with "wr".
Guest   Wed May 21, 2008 1:36 pm GMT
<<<<she said without qualification that "w" could not alliterate with "wh".>>

She should be told that "n" can't alliterate with "kn" and "r" can't alliterate with "wr". >>

"wh" {"hw"} can alliterate with "w" just as well as "qu" {"kw"}, "sw", "gw" and "tw" can!
Bill from Warwick   Thu May 22, 2008 12:21 am GMT
I wouldn't necessarily say the distinction is made by educated people- but rather by OLD people. In the old days here in the US rich and educated people DID pronounce the two differently- watch an old newsreel of Eleanor Roosevelt for an example. Today it is only the old people who make the distinction, and they're dying off. I congratulate the poster above for noticing Nancy Sinatra - but you should listen to here say "white" in her version of Bang Bang (on the Kill Bill soundtrack) if you want to hear this very old-fashioned pronunciation. She was raised in the lap of luxury- I'm sure her father Frank with his "voyou" New York accent never pronounced it this way!