Indefinite article with Hispanic?

Question

I am having a debate with co-workers regarding which indefinite article to use preceding Hispanic.  We agree the article a precedes words beginning with a consonant, the article an precedes words beginning with vowels.  We also know an precedes words beginning with a silent h, and words with a sounding h having the second syllable accented.  We are still confused where the word Hispanic fits in with all of this.  Any help is greatly appreciated.

Clive · Accepted Answer

Hi,

I am having a debate with co-workers regarding which indefinite article to use preceding Hispanic. We agree the article a precedes words beginning with a consonant, the article an precedes words beginning with vowels. We also know an precedes words beginning with a silent h, and words with a sounding h having the second syllable accented. We are still confused where the word Hispanic fits in with all of this. Any help is greatly appreciated.

Simply put, I'd say you should use 'a' if you sound the 'h', otherwise use 'an'.

The larger question is whether the 'h' should be sounded. For me, it is, but I think other people may give you other, and probably more detailed, opinions on its pronunciation.

Best wishes, Clive

Davkett · Answer

I thought, Clive, that there was also the issue of whether the accent is on the first or second syllable.

We say 'a history' but 'an historical'.

My guess is that it would be 'an Hispanic'.

CalifJim · Answer

Even if the "h" is sounded, an older rule (as I recall it) says to use "an" if the following word is an adjective that begins with "h" and the first syllable is unstressed.

That means only very few words likehysterical, historical, and Hispanic would take "an". Presumably, then, She's a Hispanic who owns a hotel, but She's from an Hispanic country, and she's currently reading an historical account of an hysterical woman.

That said, people often just use "a", modern man having lost his taste for such arcana.

CJ

Davkett · Answer

Clarifcation, CJ--

So there's a noun/adjective factor, too, huh? That's even more complicated.

The stressed syllable doesn't rule all, I guess...though 'hotel' seems more ambiuguous that way than 'Hispanic'.

Don't we tend to say 'an hallucination' more than 'a hallucination'?

Clive · Answer

Hi guys,

I say 'a historical' and 'a hallucination'. Obviously, there's a degree of variability here.

Clive

Davkett · Answer

I don't even know how I say these words anymore.  <img class='emoticon' style='Width:19px;Height:19px;' data-delaysrc='https://uat-englishforward-forums-backend.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/Emoticons/6.gif' src='https://uat-englishforward-forums-backend.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/Emoticons/6.gif' alt='Emotion: sad'/>

CalifJim · Answer

0 Me neither! 02br
00 I thought noun/adjective would have to be part of it because nobody says "an hotel", do they? 02br
02br
00 On the other hand, wait! It's coming back to me. It's got to do with more than "h". It has to be unstressed "hi" or "hy". That explains why "an hotel" doesn't fall under the rule.02br
02br
00 On the other hand (how many hands do we have here?), nobody says "an hibiscus", do they? nor "an hydraulic lift", come to think of it So maybe it has to be either "hi"or "hy" pronounced as in "hit" (01u00and02u00 an adjective?)02br
02br
00 So what words beginning with "h", besides 01i00historic(al), hysteric(al), Hispanic,02i00 and01i00 hypnotic02i00, could ever take "an"?* Are there any other words that fit the criteria? If not, it seems that it would save a lot of trouble just to list them rather than couch it in terms of all those rules!02br
02br
00 Whew! Now I need a nap.02br
02br
00 CJ02br
02br
00 *I am of course omitting words like "hour" and "honor", which are not at issue here.0-

Davkett · Answer

0a heuristic or an heuristic?02br
02br
00AAAaargh!0-

CalifJim · Answer

0It would have to be "a heuristic".  No "hi" or "hy" at the  beginning.  It would fall into the same class as "a hotel".050010id15

Anonymous · Answer

0 Just passing by, pardon me for sticking my nose in, but...02br
01blockquote

01i12br
10 We say 'a history' but 'an historical'. 12br
12br
12i12blockquote

10 Some people do. I'm not sure when it became trendy but I wish people would cut it out. I find it painful to hear. "An historical whatever" or "an hallucination" is only correct if you're an 18th century Briton or a moden Cockney and drop your aitches ("It's an 'istorical occcasion, guvnor!").02br
02br
01blockquote

00"In modern written English, we use 11i10a12i10 before a word beginning with a consonant sound, however it may be spelled (11i10a frog, a university, a euphemism12i10). We use 11i10an12i10 before a word beginning with a vowel sound (11i10an orange, an hour12i10)." -- 15012br
12br
12blockquote

10"An historical" and a few other exceptions are acceptable in formal writing for historical reasons, but they are holdover varients based on obsolete pronunciations, not to be encouraged.02br
02br
00 So: "a Hispanic person" would be the preferred usage, just like "a hissing noise".02br
02br
00 -Tom Swiss / tms at infamous dot net02br
02br
0230hrefhttp://www.bartleby.com/64/C003/001.htmlcThe American Heritage® Book of English Usage (1996).

Indefinite article with Hispanic?

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