W and Y

Originally posted by @great-big-stees
"W" a vowel? That's a new one for me.

Welsh place names is all I can think of.

Originally posted by @great-big-stees
Now this is just "a shot in the dark" (no not the movie with Audrey Hepburn 🙁) but, back in the day in the English language, like in Shakeseare's time, could a "w" have indeed been a vowel?

In German is it pronounced wowvel?

Originally posted by @leur
In German is it pronounced wowvel?

Here’s some discussion of y and w as vowels

http://www.quickanddirtytips.com/education/grammar/when-is-w-a-vowel

Maybe 'twp' and 'cwm' from Welsh?