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Path: utzoo!linus!decvax!tektronix!tekchips!wm
From: wm@tekchips.UUCP (Wm Leler)
Newsgroups: net.nlang
Subject: W as a vowel
Message-ID: <351@tekchips.UUCP>
Date: Tue, 11-Oct-83 15:09:47 EDT
Article-I.D.: tekchips.351
Posted: Tue Oct 11 15:09:47 1983
Date-Received: Thu, 13-Oct-83 07:39:42 EDT
Organization: Tektronix, Beaverton OR
Lines: 15


Sure, W is a vowel (well, sometimes).  Technically, both Y and W are
semiconsonants, both decended from the letter V (for more info on this,
refer to the wonderful American Heritage Dictionary).  The reason why
most people don't think of words where W is used as a vowel is because
it is rarely used alone (more on this later).  The architype word where
W is a vowel is "cow".  There are other examples, but most of them are
"ow" words like "pow" or "wow" (like wow!  the same letter as a
consonant and a vowel in the same word!).  Some "ow" words use W as a
silent consonant, for example "tow", "know", "show".  The only example
I know of of a word that uses W as a vowel and has no other vowels is
my name :-)

				Wm Leler
				tekchips!wm