In some linguistic courses I've taken the point is made that it's mostly the east coast that does not aspirate its 'wh-'. In Oregon where I have spent most of my life, to pronounce 'whale' as 'wail', jars a bit. In Alaska, where practically everyone I know is from somewhere else, the incidence seems fairly evenly divided.

One of my dictionaries says, about 'whinge': British Informal Northern English dialect, from hwinsian, akin to German winseln.

I love words- they make music!

Eb