"Why is Water Wet?" (word histories)
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In a message dated 4/18/04 2:43:50 PM, mamaaj2000@... writes:
<< why is
water wet?" >>
He might or might not be interested, butthe history of "water" and "wet" and
"winter all go back to prehistoric times, maybe six or seven thousand years,
to the time of whoever it was spoke the language linguists call
"proto-Indo-European." Other languages descended from that also have various words for
wetness or water which have as their mid-base a sound like
oowaa
Kind of like the chorus of "Why Do Fools Fall in Love": OOOwa, ooowah...
Spanish word for water?
Agua.
Pronunciation?
awWa
(kinda <g>)
So our word "wet" means "watery" in a way.
And (another mystery solved) the reason in phonics discussions teachers say
(of vowels) "and sometimes y and w" is that "w" is the sound "oowah."
Huh. I wonder if it's a picture of water!!
Sandra
<< why is
water wet?" >>
He might or might not be interested, butthe history of "water" and "wet" and
"winter all go back to prehistoric times, maybe six or seven thousand years,
to the time of whoever it was spoke the language linguists call
"proto-Indo-European." Other languages descended from that also have various words for
wetness or water which have as their mid-base a sound like
oowaa
Kind of like the chorus of "Why Do Fools Fall in Love": OOOwa, ooowah...
Spanish word for water?
Agua.
Pronunciation?
awWa
(kinda <g>)
So our word "wet" means "watery" in a way.
And (another mystery solved) the reason in phonics discussions teachers say
(of vowels) "and sometimes y and w" is that "w" is the sound "oowah."
Huh. I wonder if it's a picture of water!!
Sandra