Posted on 05/01/2021 5:26:23 PM PDT by hapnHal
Today's quiz!!
How many words in English have the double letters uu?
I can only find three. 1. vacuum 2. Hyundai Equus and a third word ??
See, if you know what is the third "uu" word.
and, are there any more double "uu" words?
PS Don't ask Biden.
UUord.
:-P
“UUr.”
“Uur sure cute for a 11 year old.” - Chomo Joe
ululate
Nuuk Greenland
That’s right! That was in C.S. Lewis’s “The Pilgrim’s Regresss”
A skeptical character told another one that having eggs for breakfast was “eating the menstruum of a verminous fowl”...
“the menstruum of a verminous fowl”
He knew about hillary that far back?
Tuukka Rask. Two U’s, two K’s, and two points.
“Duumycrat” a accentuated word for certain elected high office holders in the United States of America soon to become the People’s Repuublic of America under their misleadership.
Uuh?
“Squush” is a legitimate word in the OED and American version of the OED.
Actually, it is. English is a language that just doesn’t borrow words from other languages, when English encounters a new language, it brow bears, mugs, and steals that languages’ words, files the serial numbers off, and incorporates its unique words into the Mulligan Stew that is the English tongue.
In early English, the “uu” paired letters were quite common in spelling words, so much so that in writing them they were often squished together for clarity. They were meant to sound as “ooh-woo” when written together.
As English evolved, the four peaked “u”s written together became more and more written closer and evolved into our modern three-peaked letter of “W” named “double-u” … but in medieval times pronounced with a decided “HW” sound of a sibilant “Hwoo”. In fact, our modern “wh” words were once spelled “hw” for a spell (pun intended), thus later resulting in “awhile” and “while” having similar meanings, with the first retaining more of the leading sibilant “h” sound. Some accents in the UK still retain the lifted beginning of the “wh” in “who, what, where, when, why” that gives them a lilting cadence.
Names such a “Guuilliam, Guuindolyn, Guuinovere or even Uuilliam” were common before the multiple peaks of writing double-us started confusing reading, espeacially when mixed with “i” (Look at the number of potential peaks in “Uuilliam”—8!). Counting the peaks got confusing, and figuring out where to cross the “t” or dot the “i” made combing the four “uu” of the three of “w” a no brainer.
That’s why there are so few “uu” words in the English language…
muumuu |ˈmuːmuː| nounApologies will be accepted as made.
a woman's loose, brightly coloured dress, especially one traditionally worn in Hawaii.
ORIGIN early 20th century: from Hawaiian mu'u mu'u, literally ‘cut off’.
You’re welcome.
Oxford Dictionary of English
muumuu |ˈmuːmuː| nounAnd not only is the language such a stew, but the entire culture and population are also. And here we are: all in a stew (pun intended)!
a woman's loose, brightly coloured dress, especially one traditionally worn in Hawaii.
ORIGIN early 20th century: from Hawaiian mu'u mu'u, literally ‘cut off’.
And not only the English, but everyone all over the world, whether they know it or not. The English are just more obvious--or maybe transparent is a better word--or maybe even congenial--than the rest.
I say let's start spelling “who, what, where, when, why” "hwo, hwat, hwere, hwen, hwy". Or have I missed something? Maybe I just don't know how to talk correctly. Should I be saying "w hoo, w hat, w here" for example?
guru...
my apologies, wasn’t paying attention...
Good question…
There are those that hold that the “W” is obsolete. . . And should be deleted from the alphabet along with “Q” and “Q” as their usage can be handled by other letters. “W” can be supplanted by going back to a single “U” where necessary. “Uher” for “Where” dropping the silent “e” as well. . . And probably spelling it “Uhar”, using the “a” for what used to be the “e”. I’ve actually seen that suggested as part of “simplification” of English spelling and pronunciation.
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