Why Bill is short for William?
Kate is for Katherine, that I get, but Bill for William? Really William? Bill sounds nothing like William. This has bugging me for quite some time, need the answer now, waiting online.
In the 13-14th century, for whatever reason, it was popular to switch a letter in the name for another.
So William, or Will, became Bill. Richard, or Rich, became Dich or commonly just spelled Dick. It's kinda weird, but it just stuck
2015年8月23日
1
4
1
Jon's answer is interesting.
I have to say that there are many nicknames in English that don't seem to follow any logical rules, and I don't think there's any answer except to say "it's so." Sometimes what will happen is that some person has an unusual nickname--a common explanation is that it is the way their little brother or sister mispronounced it--and then they become famous and people imitate it.
Some very common nicknames without obvious logical explanations:
"Peggy" for "Margaret"
"Daisy" for "Margaret"
"Sally" for "Sarah"
"Hal" for "Harold"
"Hank" for "Henry"
"Sukie" for "Susan"
"Polly" for "Mary"
2015年8月23日
2
1
0
Maybe because the B and the W sounds are both made using the lips. We go for what's clear and easy.
2015年8月23日
4
0
0
oh right, I forgot to ask that! I mean who would choose to be named dick? For what I learned so far, dick is not a very good word, in most cases.
2015年8月23日
0
0
0
If you think that is weird, how about "Dick" being short for "Richard"?