224 LANGUAGES AND WORDS 



I should be glad to see the name hooper brought to our 

 notice. It's precisely in the same case as hole, adj., 

 which became whole about a.d. 1500 or a little earlier, 

 and is likely to remain whole for another century. 



The cause was that (about 1450-1500) a habit arose 

 of prefixing a well-pronounced w to words beginning 

 with ho, hoo, o, oo. I gave a long list of these, and 

 traced the fate of each word in the set, a few years ago, 

 for the Camb. Phil. Society. One of the most interesting 

 is hot, because Spenser got hold of the form whot, and 

 stuck to it ; but it has now become hot again ; for 

 the prefixing of the w was, first of all, in fashion ; and 

 secondly, went out again : ivhole and whoop are almost the 

 only ones left. But the w survives in dialects, as in 

 woaks for oaks and wuts for oats. 



That's how I still write whoop, though I know that 

 hoop is better, and I still wTite delight, though I know it 

 to be an ignorant substitute for delite. 



As to spelling reform, I should like to see it ; but 

 it is impracticable at present. I have an article to write 

 upon it for the B.A. 



Yours sincerely, 



W. W. Skeat. 



The origin of the name Capercally or Capercaillie 

 was the subject of much correspondence at one time with 

 Mr. Harvie-Brown and others. 



Now about the etymology of Capercally. (Of course, 

 I know nothing, absolutely nothing, of Gaelic.) Having 

 to Aviitc the article thereon for the " Encycl. Brit." and 

 being in great doubt as to the spelling, I applied to all 

 such persons as I thought coidd help me — among others 

 to the corresponding Editor of the Encylopsedia, Mr. 

 McArthur, whom I requested to inquire of the best 

 Gaelic scholar he could get concerning the meaning, etc., 

 of the name, and I herewith enclose you 3 letters which 

 were the result of that inquiry. The first from McArthur 

 introduces the others. 1 never heard of Dr. McLauchlan 



