0
Usenet Posted 18 years ago
English in UK
'a historian' or 'an historian'?
Please see a quote from Noel below:
"Many English people use 'an' before some words beginning with 'h', but my experience is that this only occurs (apart from the cases where the 'h' is mute anyway) when the first syllable is not accented. Thus 'a history' but 'an historian'.
Is this true that since the initial syllable is unaccented 'an' should precede 'historian' and since it is accented, 'a' should precede 'history' ?
Is this the norm in R.P too?
Paul
"Many English people use 'an' before some words beginning with 'h', but my experience is that this only occurs (apart from the cases where the 'h' is mute anyway) when the first syllable is not accented. Thus 'a history' but 'an historian'.
Is this true that since the initial syllable is unaccented 'an' should precede 'historian' and since it is accented, 'a' should precede 'history' ?
Is this the norm in R.P too?
Paul
Top answer
Paul schrieb: [nq:1]Please see a quote from Noel below: "Many English people use 'an' before some words beginning with 'h', but my ... should precede 'historian' and since it is accented, 'a' should precede 'history' ? [/nq] I don't think so - it may be a generational thing.
- Paul schrieb: [nq:1]Please see a quote from Noel below: "Many English people use 'an' before some words beginning with 'h', but my ...
- should precede 'historian' and since it is accented, 'a' should precede 'history' ?
- [/nq] I don't think so - it may be a generational thing.
- As I've already said, the pronunciation of the "h" is relatively recent and the phenomenon being described is probably a remnant of the old pronunciation or even a hyper-correction.
- Regards, Einde O'Callaghan
Get the Weekly English Kit 📬
New words, one handy idiom, and a 2-minute quiz — delivered to your inbox to keep your streak alive.
1 Answers
0
Paul schrieb:
[nq:1]Please see a quote from Noel below: "Many English people use 'an' before some words beginning with 'h', but my ... should precede 'historian' and since it is accented, 'a' should precede 'history' ? Is this the norm in R.P too?[/nq]
I don't think so - it may be a generational thing. As I've already said, the pronunciation of the "h" is relatively recent and the phenomen
[nq:1]Please see a quote from Noel below: "Many English people use 'an' before some words beginning with 'h', but my ... should precede 'historian' and since it is accented, 'a' should precede 'history' ? Is this the norm in R.P too?[/nq]
I don't think so - it may be a generational thing. As I've already said, the pronunciation of the "h" is relatively recent and the phenomen
0
Related Questions