'wh' words being pronounced 'hwh' in Taiwan?

Yeah, that’s from the late Middle Chinese, mainly from after Song and Ming dynasties. There are three sound shifts before certain vowels, usually /u/, /o/ or /i/:

幫 /p/ → /f/ 非
滂 /pʰ/ → /fʰ/ → /f/ 敷
並 /b/ → /fɦ/ → /v/ → /f/ 奉
明 /m/ → /ʋ/ → /w/ 微

That’s what you are hearing in Hakka, but it has nothing to do with the /w/ → /v/ sound change in Mandarin. Also, as previously mentioned, the small percentage of Hakka speakers is unlikely to attribute to a large number of English learnings doing the “fwu” thing.

Regarding Hansioux’s Q on “which” and “when”, I pronounce them as “wich” (sounds like “witch”) and “wen”. No real “h” sound in my accent. I also pronounce “what” “where” “whale” as “wut” and “ware” and “wail.” Born and raised in the U.S. Northeast and but have lived in California now for almost 15 years.

Pretty sure it’s referred to as labioproximal drift

As far as this pronuncatal anomaly is concerned, I for one would welcome an entire nation where everyone talks like Billy friggin Connelly.

https://youtu.be/0T4jssO9t-0?t=1m24s

I think this is the first English native speaker I hear with that pronunciation.

That’s the model Taiwanese are following :smiley:

‘hwh’ phonetics is not all that uncommon in the southeast US. It can be interpreted as a command. Like: “What you mean?”

My ESL books say HW for WH is disappear from everyday American English.
It was more prevelent 20 years ago.

Not where I come from.