2007-12-14 01:04:23 · 8 answers · asked by Anonymous in Education & Reference ➔ Words & Wordplay
Kryslyn...
this is my name..
2007-12-14 01:28:37 · answer #1 · answered by kryzzy 2 · 0⤊ 2⤋
The only one so far listed that qualifies is "Ng"
Most of the suggestions offered so far have to be ruled out, because the letter "y" IS a vowel -- that is, it is used to indicate a vowel SOUND, not just sometimes, but MOST of the time. (The confusion is caused by the fact that, in certain positions, it represents a closely related consonant sound --at least in English. The original letter, borrowed from the Greek VOWEL upsilon is ONLY a vowel in most languages that have borrowed it.)
Also, in case it comes up, the letter "W", a relative of the vowel "U", can sometimes be used for a vowel sound, though in English this only happens when it combines with another vowel (as in "law", "pew", "cow"); Scottish words use it all alone us a vowel (as in "cwm" , pronounced "cwm").
Keeping this all in mind, the only "regular words" in English (as opposed to proper names) that do not use a vowel is a small unusual set, mostly used to represent a sound we might make -- brr, hmm, mm-hmm, shh, tsk.
As for proper names -- most names you'll find in English include vowels, certainly all those that come from Germanic or Romance languages or Hebrew (the sources of MOST European names, which is the overwhelming majority of the names we use). So you'll have to go to a more distant language to find a name that comes into English WITHOUT a vowel, and even this is quite rare.
Again, the Chinese surname "Ng" is the only one suggested so far. Another possibility, I think, might be a Hungarian name (though I don't know one!) Hungarian uses a "vocalic r". (That raises the question, "If the R functions as a vowel in the language we are taking the name from, is it proper to say it "doesn't have a vowel'? For that matter when you say "Ng" don't you slip in a vowel SOUND, even if you don't write it?)
2007-12-14 12:57:14 · answer #2 · answered by bruhaha 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
do you include y as a vowel? If so it is very difficult in English
2007-12-14 09:09:16 · answer #3 · answered by rhollow98 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
For a last name- Tvrdy (if you are not counting "y").
2007-12-14 09:13:08 · answer #4 · answered by KD 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Ty
2007-12-14 09:07:27 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋
Ooooooh you got me there...good one!!
2007-12-14 09:23:16 · answer #6 · answered by saudamini 3 · 0⤊ 1⤋
ng
2007-12-14 09:09:05 · answer #7 · answered by There is no spoon 4 · 2⤊ 0⤋
phy
2007-12-14 09:08:05 · answer #8 · answered by Eric V 2 · 0⤊ 1⤋