Words starting with a 'gw' sound: how many exist? Where do they come from?
There seems to be only a few words starting with the 'gw' sound, though the only ones I can think of are proper nouns, for example, Gwyneth. Are there any non-name words starting with a 'gw'? Is there any relationship between a real 'gw' and a 'gu' pronounced as 'gw' (say, iguana)?
Solution 1:
In the particular cases you mention, they're not related, though they potentially could be, sort of. I'll try and explain:
- the /gw/ of "Gwyneth" (and a few other names) comes from Welsh, which appears to have an alternation between /w/ and /gw/ at the start of words (so "Winnie" and "Gwinnie" are essentially variants of the same name); such variation occurs in other languages including Spanish, so e.g. "huevo" and "guevo" ("egg") are variants of the same word;
- the /gw/ of "iguana" is the result of a process in various Romance languages whereby a high vowel is automatically diphthongised with a following vowel-- this process occurs fairly automatically in French and Spanish. To to a Spanish speaker, the /gw/ of "iguana" isn't a special combination as such-- it's just the result of an automatic process that occurs any time "u" and "a" occur one before the other.
By these two routes, the combination has accidentally entered English in these words. However, arguably the processes are related: arguably a contributing factor to the [g] sound in the first case is diphthongisation of the [u] vowel.
Solution 2:
There are quite a few words beginning with the /gw/ sound, spelled with gu-. (Neil Coffey’s answer excellently explains why the two different spellings exist.) To name just a few well-known ones:
- guano (and many derivatives: guanine, etc.)
- guacamole
- guiro (a percussion instrument)
- guar (guar gum is a common stabilising ingredient in foods)
And of course many demonyms:
- Guatemalan
- Guadeloupean
etc…
Solution 3:
(Replying to the first question.)
Yes, there are some words which are non-names but many are obsolete. From the OED (I didn't write them all):
- gwacum obs. form of guaiacum.
- gwairdoun obs. Sc. form of guerdon.
- gwakin see #1
- gwan, g'wan U.S. and Irish Dial. pronunciation of "go on"
- gwane, gwayn obs. ff. guana, the Iguana.
- gwarri var. guarri.
- gwash Anglicized form of gouache.
- gwely - [Welsh.] A. A social unit that was once traditional in Wales, consisting of four generations of one family in which the great-grandfather, the head of the group, had proprietary right over its landed property. B. The land held by the members of such a group.
- Gwentian - n. and a. |ˈgwɛntɪən| [f. the name Gwent + -ian.] A. Noun a. An inhabitant of Gwent in Monmouthshire, historically a Welsh principality. b. The dialect of this region. B. adjective - Of or pertaining to Gwent.
- gwerddoun, gwerdon see #2
- gwerre - variant of guerre, obsolete.
- gwidege - var. guides, obsolete, the jugular vein.
- gwis - obs. Sc. form of goose.
Solution 4:
Don't forget this one:
guano |ˈgwänō| noun ( pl. -nos) the excrement of seabirds, occurring in thick deposits notably on the islands off Peru and Chile, and used as fertilizer. [NOAD]
and
guacamole |ˌgwäkəˈmōlē| noun a dish of mashed avocado mixed with chopped onion, tomatoes, chili peppers, and seasoning.
Solution 5:
Gwiniad or Gwyniad - a whiting, the name of various fishes, fr. gwyn white.