[Gllug] [OT] speaking French in France

[John Winters]

On Tue, 2004-09-07 at 19:19, Doug Winter wrote:
> John Winters wrote:
> > "an data-point"?!  I hope the insane notion of using "an" before any
> > word beginning with 'h' hasn't now spread to words beginning with 'd'.
> 
> Just to score extra pedantry points (will I win the caravan?), it's not 
> any word beginning with 'h', it's words beginning with 'h' that come 
> from the french.  That's why it is "an hotel" but not "an horse".

Unfortunately, you're wrong.  I was talking not about correct usage, but
the loony behaviour you get now, particularly from the meeja.

If we were talking correct usage, then yes, you're right - it's "an
hotel" and "a horse".  "An hotel" not so much because it comes from the
French but because historically the h in hotel is silent.

There's a very simple pragmatic rule - if you sound the 'h' then it's "a
<whatever>" and if you don't then it's "an <whatever>".  If you use the
old pronunciation of hotel then it's "an hotel".  If you use a more
modern pronunciation then it's "a hotel".  It's "a horse" but "an
'orse".  It's "an honour" because the h is silent.

What I was talking about however was the phenomenon of using "an" before
*any* word beginning with h.  I've recently heard in the meeja, "an
horse", "an historic", "an helicopter" etc.  It makes me want to beat
them around the head with an hedgehog.

John

-- 
Gllug mailing list  -  Gllug at gllug.org.uk
http://lists.gllug.org.uk/mailman/listinfo/gllug