In Standard English, 'Wednesday' is pronounced without a /d/. Then why's it written with a d?
The word comes from a West Germanic name meaning "Woden's day", Woden being the god that's nowadays most often called Odin.
D-less forms such as 'Wennesdai' are attested from the 14th century.
Click the video to hear how the word evolved between the second century AD and now.
The Middle English to Early Modern English stages are based on the dialect of the region of London.
@yvanspijk Awaiting Dutch woensdag through the centuries.
@yvanspijk So Dutch spelling hast always been more phonetic/less etymological than English.
@yvanspijk Dutch lost the d earlier than English? Are there traces of Dutch influence in English? So far the only one I know is coleslaw.
@shukugawarablog There's only a small number of Dutch loanwords. Here's a selection:
iceberg, boss, cookie, Santa Claus, yacht, pinkie, sleigh, skate.
@shukugawarablog Dutch split off after Proto-West Germanic:
Old Dutch *wuodnesdag > Middle Dutch 'woensdag'.