Difference between revisions of "Whore"
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| − | This is one of the few words in English in which the '''_wh_ ''' [[phoneme]] is realised with the sound ' | + | This is one of the few words in English in which the '''_wh_ ''' [[phoneme]] is realised, in all [[Accent and dialect|accents]] with the sound '-h-'. (Most are sounded with the '''-w-'''. See [[W - Wh]].) '''whore''' sounds like 'haw', {{IPA|hɔː<sup>r</sup>}}, or in the North-east of England, Scotland and other places as 'hoor' {{IPA|huː<sup>ə</sup>r}}. |
The word was common in Shakespeare's times to mean a prostitute. Nowadays, in colloquial speech, it is an insult used about a woman, usually with a connotation of sexual looseness. | The word was common in Shakespeare's times to mean a prostitute. Nowadays, in colloquial speech, it is an insult used about a woman, usually with a connotation of sexual looseness. | ||
| + | ::For a note on some [[homophone]]s, see [[Haw - hoar - whore]]. | ||
[[category:pronunciation]] | [[category:pronunciation]] | ||
| + | [[Category:homophones]] | ||
Latest revision as of 23:28, 27 August 2017
This is one of the few words in English in which the _wh_ phoneme is realised, in all accents with the sound '-h-'. (Most are sounded with the -w-. See W - Wh.) whore sounds like 'haw', IPA: /hɔːr/, or in the North-east of England, Scotland and other places as 'hoor' IPA: /huːər/.
The word was common in Shakespeare's times to mean a prostitute. Nowadays, in colloquial speech, it is an insult used about a woman, usually with a connotation of sexual looseness.
- For a note on some homophones, see Haw - hoar - whore.
