Tuesday 31 March 2009

Does double you trouble you?


I feel sorry for W. It's been mis-used, mis-represented, mis-treated and mis-understood. I pray this blog will do it the justice it deserves.


The biggest suffering for W was to be mistaken with V. And, yes, I admit, it is my people, my fellow Indians, that indulge, knowing or unknowingly, in traumatising W. Since we are naming and shaming, let’s add to the list of abusers: the continental Europeans (think Transylvania or Dracula saying “ I vaant to drink your blood.), and the early Latin speaking lot. It's unfair - so thank you LUDA, for this question.


Why is the letter 'W' called double U and not double 'V'?


I’d like to put the sole blame on the Indians or Transylvanians, but the truth is that they are not completely to blame. It’s the history of W itself that must be taken to court.

W has a history. A boring History. I know because read it. I would not recommend you reading it! Because I'm kind and generous, here's a summary:

At some point following the discovery of the wheel's roll-able properties and the two-stone-fire-miracle, when Latin was invented by some clever bearded and robed folk, the W sound was actually represented by U or V. Following this, with the coming of the Medieval Latin era, the W sound actually became the V sound. Weird, I know. But really, that’s how it happened!


Then people realised that they needed the W sound to say words like wind, water-melon and whey. So they started to represent the W sound with 'uu' to differentiate it from the W sound which had turned into the V sound! You follow?
In some scripts though, the W sound was still written as a double 'v', while other scripts adopted double 'u'. And that’s how it remains today.

Note: If the circumstances surrounding double you, trouble you, then I have some advice for you. It's simple, easy and will make you want to slap your forehead for not thinking it up yourself:

Just write your w's as uu and not vv.

Slapping your head yet?

Well so there you go, all you lot Who Wondered What Was With W, you have your answer! While I'm at it, I've pasted a remarkable story written by a chap only known to us as 'Anonymous'. Shame really. But good story, if you are willing excuse the weak plot.

Winnie and Walter
"Warm weather, Walter! Welcome warm weather! We were wishing winter would wane, weren't we?"

"We were well wearied with waiting," whispered Waiter wearily. Wan, white, woe-begone was Walter; wayward, wilful, worn with weakness, wasted, waxing weaker whenever winter's wild, withering winds were wailing. Wholly without waywardness was Winifred, Walter's wise, womanly watcher, who, with winsome, wooing way, was well-beloved.

"We won't wait, Walter; while weather's warm we'll wander where woodlands wave, won't we?"
Walter's wanton wretchedness wholly waned. "Why, Winnie, we'll walk where we went when we were with Willie; we'll weave wildflower wreaths, watch woodmen working; woodlice, worms wriggling; windmills whirling; watermills wheeling; we will win wild whortleberries, witness wheat winnowed."

Wisbeach woods were wild with wildflowers; warm, westerly winds whispered where willows were waving; wood-pigeons, wrens, woodpeckers were warbling wild woodnotes. IF YOU ARE REALLY BOTHERED TO READ THE REST OF IT, GET IN TOUCH!
I am still open to random questions, so ask away!!
Sana
x

22 comments:

Nida said...

hmmm interesting! but u must've been really bored! hehe :D xxxx

Anonymous said...

Heres one!
Because flatulence contains methane do you think one can make people explode? (possibily by sticking a buring splint up the 'derier')

Unknown said...

Nida, this is my new project: I am asking people to ask me one random question and then I try to answer it, no matter how weird it is. It pretty cool, like journeying down unexpected avenues.

Which leads me on to the next comment lol

I know who you are Anonysmous lol! but I will try to do that question justice.

drama queen said...

lol that was a good one. i didnt think you could really find an answer to that question =P i actually read the whole story by the way =P

siras said...

LOL!! Interesting :P

You're as crazy as you always were btw! :P

Unknown said...

Thanks drama queen, I can't beleive that you read the whole story! It had 500 w words! I'm working in your question now :)

Sania: go on: ask me the randomest question you have ever thought of :) oh btw, thanks for the razy remark lol....I thrive on crazy :D

this random question thing i'm doing is not only fun, it's actually leading me towards discovery of things I would never have normally known. I'm enjoying the journey!

Unknown said...

wow I'm impressed with the amount of research that has gone into answering the question, and also curious as to where you found the time!?

What happened to your wierd and wonderful experiences and thoughts..love those!

Unknown said...

hey syeda, my new project is to get people to ask me one random question and then i do a bit of reading up around the topic to find an interesting answer:) my previous one was about popping corn in hot corn fields.

if you have a question, a totally random one - ask it!

sana
x

Unknown said...

I was this close of pulling off T-L-D-R or T-L-D-C on that, but then I asked for it (quite literally :P).

so.....

HOLY MOTHER OF JESUS CHRIST!

so that explains ..

thank you very much, aapnay meree information technology mein izaafa farmaya, aapko Allah iska ajar day :D

SaadZ.


(PS: your Wikipedia summarizing skills are laudable ;))

Unknown said...

Thanks, :)

Btw, what do you mean by TLDC and TLDR?? I'm still new to blog lingo!

Oi I DID NOT wikipedia paraphrase!! You know how boring it was to read up the history to "W"? And I still made this post interesting - now, THAT is laudable!

Unknown said...

TLDC and TLDR is forum lingo

basically when someone goes on and on about explaining something, people say TLDC or TLDR

TLDR means
Too Long Didnt Read

TLDC means
Too Long Dont Care :P

:P

but yeah, you did make it interesting :D thankyouverymuch :D

Unknown said...

oh btw that 'w' plot written by anonymous reminds me of the monologue in 'V' for Vendetta.

Anonymous said...

wing is actually pronounced as doubling?

need some phono classes too

drama queen said...

yay yay yay i cant wait =P

HaRy!! said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
HaRy!! said...

thats a lot of wwwww's, after readin this my manager asked me something if i can do, and i asked him, what, why , when and where....he thought i am Mad!!

Stupidosaur said...

uuouu!
OR
vvovv!

DPhatsez said...

Was wondering when W would waver.Was weary with worry waiting WHEN W would waste, wither,wane, withdraw.

Howzzat? :)

P.S My first time! Hi!!
Feel free to drop by my blog.

Great insight on the W :)

Unknown said...

Chriz: lol, i had to think for about a minute before i got what you meant by 'wing sounding like doubling' lol...(I am actually dumb and blonde, what u see is just a disguise!)

Hary: yes, that was a lot of w's...can you imagine how mad people must have thought the author of that story written only with w's was?! Ur boss might have thought u mad, aren't you greatful it was just ONE person!! the poor author - I too that he was either a bit off the rocker or substanially eccentric!

Stupidosaur: Interesting name! why's your blog empty??

DPHATsez: welcome to the blog, and I will visit your!
lol, when w withers we will celebrate!! the world would be a better place without the w dilemma!
Thanks, i had to read up quiote a bit before i could write that!

Sana
x

muthu said...

That made quite an interesting read....

and now for your random q,

who arranged the letters in the key board,(yeah i know that its the same as in a type writer.) but who arranged the letters in the type writer then?

and if you still have time... ask me anytime.. i have a whole bundle of those completely random q s, that always have me wondering.....

Unknown said...

THanks muthu!

And your random question will be answered once i have finished my exams!

sana

muthu said...

k.... best of luck for your exams...

and do not 4get my random q... :)