<wh->

RP /w/ represented by the spelling in such words as when, while, whistle is invariably [w]. In trad-RP [w] is variable with [hw] (the regular form in Refined RP). In recent years “the use of /hw/ as a phoneme has declined rapidly (even though it is often taught as the correct form in verse-speaking)” (Cruttenden 1994: 195): the last part of this observation points to the somewhat rarified and self-conscious status now attaching to the feature.