Communication

Viber — cross-platform VoIP and messaging service Viber Viber is a cross-platform voice, video and messaging app that uses phone numbers for accounts, supports calls, chats, stickers and optional encrypted 'secret' conversations.

Video chat: real-time visual communication over networks Video chat Overview of video chat: how it works, key components, bandwidth and quality considerations, history and common uses, and distinctions from other forms of online communication.

Video Relay Service: remote sign-language interpreting for telephone calls Video Relay Service Video Relay Service enables people who use sign language to communicate by phone via a live video interpreter, using broadband video, trained interpreters, and relay providers to b…

Vietnamese alphabet (chữ Quốc ngữ): letters, diacritics, history and use Vietnamese alphabet Overview of the Vietnamese alphabet (chữ Quốc ngữ), its letters and digraphs, vowel and tone diacritics, historical development, and modern usage in education, media and computing.

Vietnamese language (Tiếng Việt) Vietnamese language Overview of the Vietnamese language: origins, phonology, writing systems, dialects, uses, and cultural importance in Vietnam and the global diaspora.

Virtual community — definition, features, history and uses Virtual community A virtual community is a group that interacts online around shared interests or goals. This article explains what virtual communities are, their forms, history, benefits, challenge…

Visiting card (calling card): history, use, design and etiquette Visiting card A visiting card (calling card) is a small printed card used historically to announce or record a social visit. This article explains its form, social function, history, manufacture…

Vocal cords (vocal folds): structure, function, and variation Vocal cords An accessible overview of the vocal cords: anatomy, how they produce sound, size and sex differences, development and clinical issues, and their role in speech and singing.

Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) Voice over Internet Protocol Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) is a set of technologies that transmit voice and multimedia over packet-switched networks, replacing traditional circuit-switched telephony and…

Voiced alveolar approximant (ɹ) Voiced alveolar approximant A voiced consonant made with the tongue near the alveolar ridge, represented by ⟨ɹ⟩ in IPA and common in many varieties of English as the sound spelled 'r'.

Voiced alveolar trill (rolled R) Voiced alveolar trill The voiced alveolar trill is a consonant produced by rapid vibrations of the tongue against the alveolar ridge. Known as the rolled or trilled R, it appears in many world languages…

Voiced bilabial nasal A common nasal consonant made with both lips, written ⟨m⟩ in the IPA and heard in English words like map and rum.

Voiced bilabial trill (phonetic consonant ⟨ʙ⟩) Voiced bilabial trill A rare voiced trill produced with vibrating lips. Describes articulation, notation (⟨ʙ⟩, X-SAMPA B\), distribution, typical prenasalized forms, historical development and phonologi…

Voiced consonant A consonant produced with vibration of the vocal folds; overview of production, common examples and contrasts with voiceless consonants, plus practical ways to sense voicing.

Voicelessness (phonetics) Voicelessness Voicelessness is the phonetic condition in which the vocal folds do not vibrate during a speech sound. This article explains production, acoustic cues, notation, and cross‑linguist…

Vowel (speech sound) Vowel A vowel is a speech sound produced with an open vocal tract and serves as the core of syllables; letters that represent vowels vary by language and writing system.

Vowel length Vowel length is the phonetic duration of vowels. In some languages it is phonemic and distinguishes words; in others it is predictable or allophonic. Overview, notation, history, a…

Wade–Giles Romanization of Mandarin Chinese Wade–Giles Overview of the Wade–Giles system: its origin, key features (aspiration apostrophe), historical use, decline after Pinyin, and common spelling variants and examples.

Waggle Dance — Honey Bee Foraging Communication Waggle dance The waggle dance is a coded behavior in honey bees that communicates distance and direction to nectar, pollen, water or nest sites, first decoded by Karl von Frisch.

Wake Up to Wogan A flagship weekday breakfast radio programme on BBC Radio 2 presented by Sir Terry Wogan; celebrated for its warm tone, listener interaction and long-running popularity in the UK.

Walkie-talkie (portable two-way radio) Walkie-talkie A handheld two-way radio that enables short-range voice communication using push-to-talk operation. Used in military, public safety, recreation and industry; available in consumer…

Walloon language A Romance language of the oïl group, spoken mainly in Wallonia (Belgium) and in some Belgian-American communities; notable for regional varieties, its own orthographies, and cultur…

War language (Waar or Amwi) War language War (also spelled Waar or Amwi) is an Austroasiatic language spoken in Bangladesh and India. It has a modest speaker base, limited documentation, and occupies a vulnerable sociolin…

Waray language (Wáray-Wáray) Waray language Waray (Wáray-Wáray) is an Austronesian Visayan language spoken in Eastern Visayas, Philippines. It has several regional varieties, active oral traditions, and use in local media an…

Wave (gesture) A wave is a common nonverbal hand movement used to greet, attract attention, or signal departure; forms and meanings vary by motion, hand orientation, and cultural context.

Waw (vav) — the sixth letter of the Hebrew alphabet Waw (letter) Waw (also spelled vav or vau) is the sixth letter of the Hebrew alphabet. It functions as a consonant, a vowel marker, a conjunction and has historical links to other Semitic and M…

Waziristani dialect (Waziri Pashto) Waziristani dialect Waziristani, or Waziri, is a regional variety of Pashto spoken by the Wazir tribe in Waziristan and neighboring areas; it has distinctive phonology, vocabulary and important sociol…

Welsh English (Wenglish): Varieties, Features and History Welsh English Overview of Welsh English (Wenglish): its origins in Welsh–English contact, characteristic pronunciation and grammar influences, regional varieties across Wales, and its cultural r…

Welsh language (Cymraeg) Welsh language Cymraeg, the Celtic language of Wales, spoken by a significant minority and recognised in law; known for its distinct grammar, mutations, dialects and a modern revival in education…

Wernicke's area — cortical region for language comprehension Wernicke's area Wernicke's area is a region in the dominant posterior temporal cortex involved in understanding spoken and written language; damage leads to fluent but often meaningless speech and…

West Frisian (Frysk): language of Fryslân, Netherlands West Frisian language West Frisian (Frysk) is a West Germanic language spoken in the Dutch province of Friesland. It has several hundred thousand speakers, regional dialects, a literary tradition, and o…

Westdeutscher Rundfunk (WDR) — Cologne public broadcaster Westdeutscher Rundfunk WDR is the regional public broadcaster for North Rhine-Westphalia, based in Cologne. It produces regional TV and six radio networks, operates cultural ensembles, and is a member of…

WFMU — Independent Freeform Radio Station WFMU WFMU is a listener-supported, independent freeform radio station based in Jersey City. Known for DJ autonomy, eclectic programming, online archives, and a long history as a champio…

Whatever (slang and discourse marker) Whatever A word used colloquially to express indifference, dismissal, or permissive allowance; originally a pronoun/determiner, later adopted as a one-word retort in American English and po…

Whistling: methods, mechanics, uses, and cultural significance Whistling Overview of human whistling: how it is produced, common techniques, cultural and practical uses, brief history, and notable distinctions including whistled languages and musical ap…

Wii Speak — Nintendo Wii microphone accessory Wii Speak Wii Speak is a USB microphone accessory for the Nintendo Wii that enables room-based voice chat. Released with Animal Crossing: City Folk, it saw limited game support but offered g…

Windows Live Mail Windows Live Mail is a free desktop email client from Microsoft, part of the Windows Live Essentials suite, used to manage multiple accounts, contacts and offline mail on older Win…

Windows Live Messenger (formerly MSN Messenger) Windows Live Messenger Former Microsoft instant-messaging client, originally MSN Messenger and later Windows Live Messenger; known for chat, presence, file transfer and early voice/video; later phased ou…

Wireless: principles, types, history and applications Wireless Overview of wireless communication and technology: definitions, key components, historical development, common types (radio, Wi‑Fi, cellular, satellite), uses, advantages and chall…

Wit: forms, functions, and cultural significance Wit Concise overview of wit: definition, main forms (quip, repartee, epigram), characteristics, historical development, social uses, and distinctions from sarcasm or humor.

Word of Mouth: Oral and Digital Sharing of Information Word of mouth Word of mouth is the informal transmission of information between people, through speech or digital channels; it shapes reputation, decisions, and social influence in communities a…

Word order in language: patterns, examples, and linguistic effects Word order Overview of word order (syntax) across languages: common patterns, how order interacts with meaning and grammar, examples from English, German, Norwegian and Portuguese, and why it…

Write Once Read Many (WORM) — Overview, Types and Uses Write Once Read Many Write Once Read Many (WORM) describes storage that can be written a single time and thereafter only read; used for archival, compliance, tamper-evident logs across optical, tape, d…

Writing: systems, history, materials and uses Writing Overview of writing as a visual system for recording language: types of scripts, historical development, common materials and tools, functions in society, and distinctions from spe…

Writing system (script) Writing system A writing system is a structured set of symbols used to record language. This article explains types, components, history, uses, and technical issues such as orthography and digita…

Wu Chinese dialects Wu Chinese Wu is a major branch of Sinitic languages spoken in the Yangtze Delta around Shanghai and Zhejiang. It includes Shanghainese, Suzhou and Wenzhou varieties and is known for voiced i…

X (letter): pronunciation, history, forms and common uses X A concise guide to the letter X — the 24th letter of the English alphabet — covering pronunciation, typographic forms, origins, and its roles in language, science and symbols.

XChat — graphical IRC client for Unix-like systems and Windows XChat XChat is a graphical Internet Relay Chat (IRC) client known for its multi-network support, scripting, and open-source code; a commercial Windows binary was distributed separately a…