Why does answer have a w in it?

[Glen]

Please, feel free to post your own rhetorical questions here as well.

[arch stanton]

I prefer to ponder why we chose to stop pronouncing the w in answer

[Lou]

Why does rhetorical have an h in it? 

[Lou]

Why does why have an h in it?

that h should kick rocks.

(so should the k....or would it be the c?) 

[Lou]

11 minutes ago, arch stanton said:

I prefer to ponder why we chose to stop pronouncing the w in answer

Who does that?  

[Taylor]

Why do some imbeciles pronounce Reese's Peanut Butter Cups, Reesie's peanut butter cups (with a long-E sound at the end)? 

[arch stanton]

8 minutes ago, Lou said:

Who does that?  

Nobody now. But I bet they did at one time

[Lou]

7 minutes ago, arch stanton said:

Nobody now. But I bet they did at one time

I meant, who stopped pronouncing it? 

 

 

[Lou]

14 minutes ago, Taylor said:

Why do some imbeciles pronounce Reese's Peanut Butter Cups, Reesie's peanut butter cups (with a long-E sound at the end)? 

Public school 

[Blarg]

Glen, the last guy to ask this question you found on a hiking trail. Beware the Ancient Order of Etymology and their diciples, they don't like you fucking with language.

Edited August 18, 2017 by Blarg

[Blarg]

17 minutes ago, Lou said:

I meant, who stopped pronouncing it? 

 

 

'Mericans. Some British still ennunciate the w. It is from old English and Germanic origin combining and with swear. 

Edited August 18, 2017 by Blarg

[Blarg]

Can't help with Resse's. That just bang out of order.

[arch stanton]

3 minutes ago, Blarg said:

'Mericans. Some British still ennunciate the w. It is from old English and Germanic origin combining and with swear. 

Does Blarg know the meaning of rhetorical?

[gotbeer]

13 minutes ago, Blarg said:

'Mericans. Some British still ennunciate the w. It is from old English and Germanic origin combining and with swear. 

Sweet.  I'm going to call it andswear from now on.

[Tank]

i've heard a growing number of people pronounce the W in sword.

there are also a worrisome number of people who pronounce it as CON-tri-BU-ted

[Taylor]

1 hour ago, Tank said:

there are also a worrisome number of people who pronounce it as CON-tri-BU-ted

I bet the people who pronounce it that way are dudes with two first names.

[AngelsLakersFan]

Etymology is a favorite subject of mine. 

Reading about the history of the word 'sword' it sounds like the Germans probably invented it in the west. All the variations seem to originate from an old upper class German word.

sword (n.) 

Old English sweord, swyrd (West Saxon), sword (Northumbrian) "sword," from Proto-Germanic *swerdam (source also of Old Saxon, Old Frisian swerd, Old Norse sverð, Swedish svärd, Middle Dutch swaert, Dutch zwaard, Old High German swert, German Schwert "a sword"), related to Old High German sweran "to hurt," from *swertha-, literally "the cutting weapon," from PIE root *swer- (3) "to cut, pierce." 

Contrast with plowshare is from the Old Testament (Isaiah ii.4, Micah iv.3). Phrase put (originally do) to the sword "kill, slaughter" is recorded from mid-14c. An older Germanic word for it is in Old Saxon heoru, Gothic hairus "a sword."

answer (n.) 

Old English andswaru "a response, a reply," from and- "against" (from PIE root *ant- "front, forehead," with derivatives meaning "in front of, before") + -swaru "affirmation," from swerian "to swear" (see swear), suggesting an original sense of "sworn statement rebutting a charge." 

A common Germanic compound (cognates: Old Saxon antswor, Old Norse andsvar, Old Frisian ondser, Danish and Swedish ansvar), implying a Proto-Germanic *andswara-. Meaning "a reply to a question," the main modern sense, was in Old English. Meaning "solution of a problem" is from c. 1300.

[arch stanton]

Was that a rhetorical response?

[cez]

https://www.google.com/search?rlz=1C1CHBF_enUS750US750&q=answer+etymology&oq=answer+etymology&gs_l=psy-ab.3..0i71k1l4.0.0.0.32154.0.0.0.0.0.0.0.0..0.0....0...1..64.psy-ab..0.0.0.oGQx7RLoL1w

[Sam Sanchez]

Why do the British add an "R" sound to words that have an "aw" sound.

 

"I sawr her drawring"

[Jobu]

They're all from Boston?

[Jobu]

Bad teeth?

[Tank]

51 minutes ago, Sam Sanchez said:

Why do the British add an "R" sound to words that have an "aw" sound.

 

"I sawr her drawring"

if you've ever seen british food, well, i think you have your answer.

[Tank]

1 hour ago, Taylor said:

I bet the people who pronounce it that way are dudes with two first names.

i also hear con-TRAS-ted an awful lot.

[ten ocho recon scout]

7 hours ago, Lou said:

Why does rhetorical have an h in it?