Pronouncing the letter A

Question

Greetings all I have not seen the following in any of the FAQs; the other day, I was having a discussing with a choir director, and the question about the proper pronunciation of the letter "A" came up should it always be a long A (as in "mate", or "hay")? Almost all speakers I hear pronounce it more like "uh". Or are there formal rules for changing the pronunciation?
For my part, I can hear myself say "That was a good meal", and the "A" is long but "I'll be back in a couple of hours" I tend toward the "uh" sound.
I believe the standalone "A" is formally pronounced long, but am curious if there is any definitive answer on the subject failing that, what the views of this group are.
Thanks!
PS> I believe this post will use a bad email address for me use "rlosey" but at "fastmail.fm" instead of anything else.

Usenet · Accepted Answer

[nq:1]Greetings all I have not seen the following in any of the FAQs; the other day, I was having ... curious if there is any definitive answer on the subject failing that, what the views of this group are.[/nq]
My practice:
Standalone "A", if it is an adjective or article in initial or mid-phrase position, varies in pronunciation depending on the beginning sound of the following word. "A" before vowels and vowel sounds converts to "an": An historical, an honor, an apple, another. I grew up calling this the "short A" sound. "A" before consonants and aspirate "H" is "uh" a history, a dishonor. For dictation or emphasis, or to bring out a rhyme in songs and poems, I may slow down and use the "long A" sound may, mate in this "uh" position.
Oh, yes. I hear the "long A" when many people are reading aloud a selection of almost any length, though they normally speak as I describe above.
Any standalone "A" otherwise is a noun, and becomes solely the name of the symbol/letter. ABC. In this situation I pronounce it with the "long A" of mate, may (despite the fact that the sound is a diphthong).

Pat Durkin
Wisconsin

Usenet · Answer

[nq:1]Greetings all I have not seen the following in any of the FAQs; the other day, I was having ... pronunciation of the letter "A" came up should it always be a long A (as in "mate", or "hay")?[/nq]
Yes, the letter "A" should always be pronounced with a long A..

The word "A", on the other hand, might well be pronounced differently.

Alec McKenzie

Usenet · Answer

[nq:1]Yes, the letter "A" should always be pronounced with a long A..[/nq]
Eh?

Paul
My Lake District walking site (updated 29th September 2003): http://paulrooney.netfirms.com
Please sponsor me for the London Marathon at:
http://www.justgiving.com/london2004

Usenet · Answer

[nq:2]Yes, the letter "A" should always be pronounced with a long A..[/nq]
[nq:1]Eh?[/nq]
That's right.

Alec McKenzie

Usenet · Answer

[nq:2]Eh?[/nq]
[nq:1]That's right.[/nq]
Ah!

Paul
My Lake District walking site (updated 29th September 2003): http://paulrooney.netfirms.com
Please sponsor me for the London Marathon at:
http://www.justgiving.com/london2004

Usenet · Answer

[nq:2]That's right.[/nq]
[nq:1]Ah![/nq]
'Ey!

Usenet · Answer

While it was 23/11/03 10:39 pm throughout the UK, Pat Durkin sprinkled little black dots on a white screen, and they fell thus:
[nq:1]My practice: Standalone "A", if it is an adjective or article in initial or mid-phrase position, varies in pronunciation depending on the beginning sound of the following word. "A" before vowels and vowel sounds converts to "an": An historical, an honor, an apple, another.[/nq]
Over here, /h/ is a consonant. Or do you drop that sound in "historical" where you are?
[nq:1]I grew up calling this the "short A" sound.[/nq]
Calling what the "short A"? /&/ as in "cat" or /@/ as in "above"?

/&/ was "short A" when I went to school.
I generally always use /@n/, but /&n/ seems common when emphasising or talking about the word. A bit like "them" /D@m/ vs. /DEm/ I suppose.

The article "a" is practically always /@/ for me too.

Perhaps a related issue is what certainly sounds wrong to my ears, that some people would say "go ay-way" and whoever it was sang "My friends all drive Porsches, I must make ay-mends"..
Stewart.

My e-mail is valid but not my primary mailbox, aside from its being the unfortunate victim of intensive mail-bombing at the moment. Please keep replies on the 'group where everyone may benefit.

Usenet · Answer

[nq:1]Perhaps a related issue is what certainly sounds wrong to my ears, that some people would say "go ay-way" and whoever it was sang "My friends all drive Porsches, I must make ay-mends"..[/nq]
Just what I needed - now Janis will be with me for a while...

Laura
(emulate St. George for email)

Usenet · Answer

[nq:2]Perhaps a related issue is what certainly sounds wrong to ... sang "My friends all drive Porsches, I must make ay-mends"..[/nq]
[nq:1] Just what I needed - now Janis will be with me for a while...[/nq]
OK: replace it with Mike Naismith (I think it was him):

Her name was Jo-anne, and she lived in ay meadow by ay fa-a-aaa-aaa- arm...

Cheers, Harvey
Ottawa/Toronto/Edmonton for 30 years;
Southern England for the past 21 years.
(for e-mail, change harvey to whhvs)

Usenet · Answer

[nq:1]While it was 23/11/03 10:39 pm throughout the UK, Pat Durkin sprinkled little black dots on a white screen, and they fell thus: [/nq]
[nq:2]My practice: Standalone "A", if it is an adjective or ... converts to "an": An historical, an honor, an apple, another.[/nq]
[nq:1]Over here, /h/ is a consonant. Or do you drop that sound in "historical" where you are?[/nq]
Now, come on, Stewart. I wrote "an historical" and "an honor". Tell me you don't get the "H" out of there when you say those words. Or, maybe you do say "This is truly a honor" (heavily aspirated "H" sound, as in "ahem.)
[nq:2]I grew up calling this the "short A" sound.[/nq]
[nq:1] Calling what the "short A"? /&/ as in "cat" or /@/ as in "above"?[/nq]
. . . "an" as in /&/ (cat vowel), but I chose not to use these phonetic symbols. I don't think they translate well at all. The British way of saying "cat" may not correspond to the US Midwestern way. How do you say "bathmat"? I use /&/ "short A" in both syllables.
[nq:1]/&/ was "short A" when I went to school.[/nq]
And that is how I pronounce the "short A" in the word "an". I thought I made that clear.
[nq:1]I generally always use /@n/, but /&n/ seems common when emphasising or talking about the word. A bit like "them" /D@m/ vs. /DEm/ I suppose.[/nq]
I think, though I am not sure, that your reference to /@n/, in my area tends to be written as "con, don," the "cot" vowel sound. You didn't give any words that I can relate to. I know some German-origin names that have this sound with the letter "A": Hahn, autobahn. Still, I might be persuaded to call the /@/ sound that unstressed "A" in "above, about", (though I prefer using the term schwa for the latter)or even the "A" sound that I use which is closed with an "R"" card, yard, barn".
I don't understand your reference to "them".
[nq:1]The article "a" is practically always /@/ for me too.[/nq]
I posted residential area so that some pronunciations which might be local could be explained by: "Ah, yes, a Midwesterner".

Pat Durkin
Wisconsin

Pronouncing the letter A

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