Pronunciation Of The Letter H

Very definitely “An historic aircraft” with the ‘h’ silent
Saying ‘A historic aircraft’ with the ‘A’ pronounced as ‘aa’ rather than ‘ay’ and the ‘h’ sounded is something only Lilly Allen should attempt, and preferably out of my earshot.

Moggy

I’ve just heard Winston Churchill CD and he definately did NOT keep the H silent in the “An Historic event off the shores of Egypt……” bit. I have heard many a wise and respected English language speaker do the same. Stevie Fry for one. And it’s how I was taught in the early 1960’s, when teachers were actually experts in their field.
The language will evolve, it always has. When the mass plebians can reach no higher than Corrie or Benders or Big Brother etc. it’s all one can expect. The failing problem of democracy is that the thick outvote the wise so it is now acceptable to end a statement with innit.

Kev, I tip my hat to you sir!

I have to admit, its difficult not to use “like” all the time!

its like the french filling their conversation with lots of “eeeeurgh” noises :diablo:

That’s not the French, it’s Steven Gerrard.

Regards,

kev35

I have to admit, its difficult not to use “like” all the time!

its like the french filling their conversation with lots of “eeeeurgh” noises :diablo:

The “like, like … ” are psychological though, we use them as fillers when we think of what we want to say next.

It’s always been a “aitch” to me also.

The thing I detest is people’s misuse of ” there, their and they’re”

Or possibly an “aitch”.:D

“He said,like…” She said, like….” No we don’t like like!:(

My favorite quotation (from my best friend, a panelbeater, in Tamworth, Staffs) to justify a pretty shoddy respray job on a panelvan, is, “Well it ain’t perfek loike, boot it’s a ‘undred percent better than when it first “coom” in!” 😀

It’s always been an “aitch” to me also.

The thing I detest is people’s misuse of ” there, their and they’re”

No need for the letter H at the start of words. We Black Country folk ‘ave managed fer generayshuns. As me Muther alluz used ter say…..

Ay it ‘orrid when yow’m ‘ot an in a ‘urry and yer a ter ‘old yer ‘at on wi’ yer ‘and.

Regards,

kev35

Oh, don’t get me started on that one!

:D:D

‘Ere! Where’s your ‘at? ‘ave you forgotten it? You’d better go ‘ome and get it. 😀

:D:D Who really gives a flying **** anyway ? H ? H from Steps might 😀

‘Ere! Where’s your ‘at? ‘ave you forgotten it? You’d better go ‘ome and get it. 😀

Aitch it is for me too. What get’s my goat is when people mis-use an apostrophe. :mad:……

Oh, don’t get me started on that one!

Aitch it is for me too. What get’s my goat is when people mis-use an apostrophe. 😡 eg. My surname is Lewis so if I own something it’s Lewis’ not Lewis’s.

Tony.

Can I point out here that dropping the ‘H’ does not apply where the word starts a sentence. That would be pure DvD 😀

Moggy

I hope you know that to those of us who use “H”s…
dropping them tends to make you sound sike Dick Van Dyke in Mary Poppins…or some other Yank (such as myself) doing a bad Cockney accent.

Or you sound like Engishmen doing bad accents (this time on purpose) from
‘allo, ‘allo.

:D:D:D

May I be the first to respond? But I reluctantly agree with you as I posted earlier. I mentioned my latest pet hate “I am good” in response to “How are you?” But the evolution of language is very strong and our petty irritations will become irrelevant, I am sure.:(

I say “aitch” and instinctively dislike hearing “haitch”, but I also normally aspirate the H in the words Moggy lists (preceded by “a”).

Inevitably, language evolves and however much we may hate how those dreadful youngsters and Americans speak, much of it will be perfectly acceptable in fifty years’ time. Where a word has been taken into English from a foreign language there is no obligation to keep the whole foreign pronunciation, and that includes the French H. In fact, when certain people insist on using an exageratedly foreign pronunciation it often just sounds pretentious. “Homage” for example.

These days I tend to think that “haitch” does at least reflect the sound of the letter and I wouldn’t even stop my son from saying it. I’d still never say it myself, though.

By the way, one thing I really hate is in sandwich shops, when customers say “can I get” instead of “could I have” (now let’s see if someone says it should really be “may I have”).

Very definitely “An historic aircraft” with the ‘h’ silent

Saying ‘A historic aircraft’ with the ‘A’ pronounced as ‘aa’ rather than ‘ay’ and the ‘h’ sounded is something only Lilly Allen should attempt, and preferably out of my earshot.

Moggy

As I’m from overseas perhaps I’ll get away with this stupid question, but what I’ve always wanted to know is:
is it an historic aircraft (which to me seems wrong)
or a historic aircraft (which one hardly ever reads)

Peter