Quote:
Originally Posted by GtrsRGr8
I apologize to any Mobilereader whom I caused to have funny looks. 
Thankfully, the word "whence," though apparently archaic, is not obsolete. Otherwise, I would have erred in using "whence."
Perhaps my use of "whence" comes from my (minimal--by my own choice) exposure to Shakespeare, in high school (mostly) and in college. I recall that he (or whoever wrote "Shakespeare's" works) frequently used "whences" and "whithers." Dost any Mobilereader out there happen to have a concordance of Shakespeare's works close at hand?
Alternately, and more likely, my familiarity with "whence" may have arisen from my exposure to the King James version of the Bible, especially in childhood. The initial edition of the KJV was published in 1611, a time when, presumably, "whences," "wherefores," and such like were part of the vernacular English language. |
You are in very good company not just with your use of "whence" but also for your use of "from whence". In answer to your question both Shakespeare and the King James Bible translators make frequent use "from whence" as do many other celebrated writers. So you would have got no "funny looks" from linguists.
While the "from" is technically redundant it is not incorrect to use it if wanted, it is just one of the many redundancies or other quirks of the English language which the technical dissectors may like to quibble over but which linguists enjoy.