If W is 'double-u'...

[Forest Cat]

In French W is pronounced "double-V" (with a French accent).

It's nice that someone does it right.

 

[Judge]

"W" and "43". Interchangeable in American English.

(Unless you're Richard Petty. Then "43" means something else.)

 

[Outdated]

In French W is pronounced "double-V" (with a French accent).

And Dopple V in German.

 

[Princess Viola]

Yeah we have the Æ and the Ø and the Å here. English-speaking people just have too few letters in their alphabet I think. They need more letters.

It's time for Þ (thorn) to make a comeback.

 

[Forest Cat]

It's time for Þ (thorn) to make a comeback.

The Icelanders actually have that thing in their alphabet. I think this alphabet looks like a mess, those guys have been isolated on that island in volcano fumes for too long. But they are very nice people, gotta love the Icelanders.

 

[Dadamen]

I'm not from english speaking counrty and don't use w in my language, but we call that letter "duplo v", which would mean "double v", rather than double u. It in fact is double v.

 

[Tom]

The name doesn't bother me but I always wonder how it ended up in English we pronounce the W like other europeans pronounce V and vice versa.

 

[Rodafina]

But they are very nice people, gotta love the Icelanders.

I don’t know about all of them, but I know one who is pretty awesome and very lovable.

@Stuttermabolur

 

[Yeshuasdaughter]

Reminds me of the scene in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade where Indiana has to spell the name "Jesus" by leaping onto different tiles. He starts with a J, and nearly falls to his death. He then corrects himself and instead leaps to an I.

 

[Crossbreed]

That's the Æ.

Nice Æ!

 

[NDR2]

Speaking of letters, when I was a child I remember seeing this bumper at the beginning of some shows on PBS. You'll hear that they say, "The following is from NIT." It doesn't look like an N. That I never understood.

 

[WildCat]

I'm here now wondering why 8 isn't called "double zero".

 

[Yeshuasdaughter]

hmm "double u" vs "double v".

let me remember in high german. it's silly but in order to remember the names of letters in other languages, i have to recite the alphabet.

I am reciting aloud:
koo arr ess tey ooo fow vey ix ipsilon tsed

so "V" is "fow" and makes an f sound
"W" (double u) is "vey" and makes a v sound

Hmmm.

Okay en espanol

I am reciting aloud, phonetically, to remember:
koo arr array ess tey oo vey doublay-oo eckies ikreyayga zeta

So "V" is "Vey" and "Doublay-oo" is "W"

In Spanish Double-U is the W

So I would assume that our phonetic Double U for W is from a Latin source, rather than a Teutonic one.

 

[Yeshuasdaughter]

"W" and "43". Interchangeable in American English.

View attachment 109717

(Unless you're Richard Petty. Then "43" means something else.)

OMG you said Richard Petty <3

My family and I were very into NASCAR in the 90s and early 2000s.

I grew up a couple hours from the California Speedway. As a young adult I lived driving distance from Daytona. I have seen both raceways.

Now I'm all sad about Dale (Earnhardt, I mean).

I can't think Richard Petty without the resulting reminder of Dale.

I remember screaming and hollering and banter, beers in the air, cheering, to absolute breathless silence when he died. You could have heard a pin drop.

And then Dale Jr in 2002, that was so scary.