Ms. BoxJam: From whence came this pile of potato chips?

BoxJam: Tsk... "Whence" doesn't require "from," as it's already implied.

BoxJam: It follows a pattern, common in Middle English, traces of which are still in our modern language. "Wh-" is the question form of a word; "h-" is "this one"; "th-" is "that one":

[[A table shows the following paradigm:]]

whence: from what point? / hence: from this point / thence: from that point

where: what place? / here: this place / there: that place

whither: to what point? / hither: to this point / thither: to that point

wherefore: for what reason? / herefore: for this reason / therefore: for that reason

wherein: in what? / herein: in this / therein: in that

BoxJam [[sitting by the potato chips]]: So, just as you'd never say "from thence," there's no reason to say "from whence"...

Ms. BoxJam: I'm sorry... from now on I'll only say "from" when asking "from which jerk" something emanated...

BoxJam [[munching happily on a chip]]: Which jerk are you talking about?

Ms. BoxJam [[pointing at him]]: Hich one.