indefinite article before words beginning with "h"

Question

Can someone tell me if there has been a change to the rule about the indefinite article before words beginning with "h".
When I was at school I was taught that "an" was only used before words in which the "h" was silent, otherwise "a" was to be used.
But recently I have noticed that news readers have started using "an" in front of words like historic, horrific and horrendous, for example "an historic agreement", "an horrific attack", "an horrendous accident". I thaught at first that it was just our thick news readers here in Northern Ireland but now its happening in the National news as well and it makes me want to scream every time I hear it.
It's obviously hard for them to say because they have now started to drop the "h" altogether, e.g. "an orrific attack" which just sounds daft.
I'll try a little paragragh using the new rule which seems to have been invented.

One day at work I was involved in an horrific accident and suffered an horrendous injury to an hand which meant I had to be taken to an hospital for treatment. Later I was discharged and I called into an hotel on the way home for an half pint to settle my nerves.

Hows that?

BarbaraPA · Accepted Answer

Hello paukel, and welcome to English Forums.

If the H is silent, then use "an." The difference is that not everyone pronounces words the same. I do say "an 'istoric" because for me the h is silent.

I stopped screaming eventually over newcasters' use of "try and" instead of "try to." It's easier on us all if we just roll with it sometimes.

Paukel · Answer

Thanks for your quick response Grammar Geek and by the way, sorry about the spelling mistake in my original posting. Just shows that I'm not an expert.
Just one thing puzzles me. How do you pronounce the word historic on its own. I would find it very hard to say it without pronouncing the "h" so that suggests to me that the "h" is not silent.
I can say words like "hour" or "honourable" without pronouncing the "h" because the "h" is silent.
Sorry to sound pedantic but it really gets up my nose.

BarbaraPA · Answer

It's just regional. I would never say 'otel or 'ospital, but historic as a single word (for me!) has only the slightest breath of an h. I always say "an istoric hotel" and I tend to write "an historic" as well.

See this: http://www.betterwritingskills.com/tip-w005.html

and

http://www.wsu.edu/~brians/errors/anhistoric.html

(Note that I don't consider myself a "sophisticated" speaker as described in the second link, but it's how I say it, nonetheless.)

Kooyeen · Answer

Grammar Geek I do say "an 'istoric" because for me the h is silent.

Wow, that's interesting. Merriam Webster doesn't give that pronunciation, so it is probably really regional.

I tend to use "an" instead of "a" in writing and so I make some silly mistakes, because for some reason I probably drop the aitches when I think in English, LOL. But if I tried to pronounce it, I would realize I actually need an "a". So, paukel, I suggest you follow Grammar Geek's advice.

Paukel · Answer

Thanks for that Grammar Geek.

Your links were very interesting, but I must say I don't agree with the view that because something is used commonly it can be considered correct.

Anonymous · Answer

I've also just read "an" in front of a non-silent "h" and since I've seen it on other occasions, though I would never use "an" myself, I "googled" (well, if we can invent words like that, we might as well put "an" or "a" before an h just as we please) to see what others thought about it. I understand the "regional" argument. But I hardly (or should I say 'ardly?) think that local pronunciations or usage should change the "standard" pronunciation of a word. As far as I'm concerned hotel and hospital have an aspirate h at the beginning, and "an hotel" sounds unnatural. An hour at a hotel is what I would write!

Drew.ward · Answer

It's not actually that an is only used in front of 'silent h'. It's also used in front of words beginning with H where the first syllable gets a very weak stress. For most people H in this position is either not pronounced at all greatly reduced in strength.

So, you'd say "a history" but "an historic event".

Note the difference in stressed syllables.

"an horrific attack" and "an horrendous accident" are explained the same way. BUT while historic tends to always have a weak first syllable, in some dialects, words like "horrific" maintain heavy stress on the first syllable or at least don't weaken it enough to merit 'an'.

Keep in mind that the purpose of "an" (versus a) is not based on spelling at all, but is instead based on sound. It's difficult to make two identical or very different vowel sounds in a row without a transition (usually a consonant) between them. Trying to say "a apple" or "a hour" feels very choppy because you actually have to not only put your mouth and throat and all into the proper position for making those sounds, but also have to suddenly stop and then restart your breath and voice. To avoid this, speakers at some point began inserting a transition sound. The most common vowel sound in the world is schwa (the 'a' in "about" and the vowel in "the") and the most common consonant sound in the world is /n/. So 'n' naturally became the one inserted.

indefinite article before words beginning with "h"

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