(h)while

[Verona_82]

Hello,

I was very surprised when I clicked on the 'play' button:
«while»


I've never heard anyone pronounce /h/ before /wail/. Is it common?

Thank you.

[birdeen's call]

Not in England, but many people say it in the US. See Phonological history of wh - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia and also Voiceless labio-velar approximant - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

[Verona_82]

Thank you for the links!
I was really flabbergasted. I was taught British English but I've never heard Americans say /hwail/ either in movies or on the radio.
Live and learn

[birdeen's call]

I'm having trouble finding examples. I'll try tomorrow if no one else does.

[5jj]

It's common in Scottish and Irish English. It is not uncommon in England among older speakers, especially those from the 'higher social classes' and/or those educated at public schools*.

I** find that I use /w/ in normal conversation, but /hw/ ([ʍ]) if I am delivering a formal presentation. This is probably a hangover from my days at school, when it was drummed into me that /hw/ was the 'correct' pronunciation.

* 'public schools' in Britain are prestigious private schools.
** I am 65, from the south of England.

[birdeen's call]

I've found a clear example: YouTube - Morgan Freeman On Black History Month (0:44 "white man").

[Verona_82]

Thank you for the replies! They've been helpful, eye-opening and horizon-broadening! (if I can say so).

[birdeen's call]

I thought you might be interested in how this Singaporean native speaker pronounces "wh" and "w".

[Verona_82]

I thought you might be interested in how this Singaporean native speaker pronounces "wh" and "w".

Thank you, but my PC won't open the file

[birdeen's call]

Thank you, but my PC won't open the file

I'm not an expert and I don't know what program you're using, but there's certainly some info on the web on how to open .ogg files with your program.

Anyway, in my opinion the man pronounces "w" with a slight biliabial friction and "wh" without it. But it's only what I hear, not what I know.