# a half/an? half



## blasita

Hello everyone.

I have recently learnt/learned that _a*n* half_ is correct in AmE (because the 'h' is apparently not pronounced). I would like to know where in the US/other places this is true. Would you actually write 'an' or this is just done when speaking?

Another similar case: _hotel_.

Thank you very much.


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## St. Nick

I pronounce the 'h' in both "hotel" and "half," so I wouldn't use the article "an."  Nor would I use "an" with the word 'history.' "Heir" and "an honest/honorable person," however, pose a different situation.


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## blasita

Thank you for your reply, St. Nick.

An American forero stated that 'an' is used before:

_half
hotel
herb
_
So, I knew about 'an hotel' (there is a thread on this), but I was wondering if this just happens in some states/is used by some speakers.


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## St. Nick

Hi Blasita

The person is correct about "herb." Even those of us who habitually mispronounce it—including me—use "an" in this case.


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## blasita

Many thanks, St. Nick. After reading that, I looked 'herb' up in an American dictionary and found that the 'h' is not pronounced. But I still wonder about 'an half' .

Gracias otra vez. Un saludo.


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## Chispa123

Anywhere the "H" is silent, then "an" is used.  "Herb" is a perfect example. Be aware, that perhaps, as spoken, one might say "an hotel."  As written it would be "a hotel."


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## blasita

Thank you, Chispa.

So, I understand that even if you say 'an hotel', you will write 'a hotel'.

Would you use '*an* half an hour', please? Is it sometimes used there?


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## Chispa123

Blasita,  it is sloppy English. Lack of distinct pronunciation.  But you hear it. It doesn't mean it's correct.


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## blasita

Thanks again, Chispa; I appreciate your help.

Un saludo.


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## gringuitoloco

I'd like to say a few things about this:

Firstly, A half. H is not silent here. 

Secondly, an hotel. This follows a rule where any word starting with an h _sound_ that has an article right before it has "an" as the article *when the stress falls on the second syllable.*  It would be said, "hotél," not "hótel."
Other examples would be "a history" vs "an historical event." (Notice here the emphasis falls, thus determining the article.)

And lastly, all other words that start with an h sound get "a," and all words that start with a vowel sound (Long "u" is not a vowel sound, such as the U in unicorn.) get "an."


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## Agró

gringuitoloco said:


> Secondly, an hotel. This follows a rule where any word starting with an h _sound_ that has an article right before it has "an" as the article *when the stress falls on the second syllable.*  It would be said, "hotél," not "hótel."



Concise Oxford English Dictionary © 2008 Oxford University Press:
*hotel*/*h*əʊˈtel/﻿ 

So, *a* hotel.

A/an: historic, historian, historical, hotel, humanitarian, Hawaiian, honour, herb, hypothesis  ...


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## blasita

Thank you for your contribution, Gringuito.

Agró, muchas gracias por el enlace. Es un hilo muy interesante, pero es un poco largo y me he perdido un poco. Creo que, en resumen, hay a veces diferentes pronunciaciones y formas de verlo; te agradecería que si tú has sacado alguna conclusión clara, me lo digas por favor. Y no encuentro 'a/an half' en el hilo (espero que no se me haya pasado). En fin, agradecería cualquier comentario tuyo.

A mí me extrañó el hecho de que se afirmara que _tenía que ser_ '_an_ hotel' y '_an_ half' porque yo no vi que se usara en general así cuando viví en EE. UU. (claro que esto no quiere decir que no se usara/use).

Un saludo.


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## luo.mai

I don't know where the person was from who said "an half", but that is definitely *not* typical American English. The "h" is pronounced, so it's "a half".

I disagree with gringuitoloco about "an hotel"—it should be "a hotel".  Use of "an" vs "a" has nothing to do with syllabic stress and everything to do with whether the noun begins with a consonant sound or a vowel sound. In the case of the letter "h", this means we use "a" when the "h" is aspirated and "an" when the "h" is silent. In American English, the "h" in "hotel" is pronounced, so one should always say and write "a hotel".

As for "a historic" vs "an historic", that's a matter of debate. Use of "an historic" makes sense if you speak with a particular accent in which the "h" is silent here, which was apparently common a couple generations ago, at least in England. But because this usage has historical precedent, it has come to be seen as standard grammar and is still taught in schools even in the US, where we pronounce the "h". Many of us, however (myself included), think "an historic" sounds very affected and should be avoided. Apparently this is not unique to the US—I found this quote from a Briton on another forum:

_As  for me, 'an hotel' and 'an historical' set my teeth on edge. I don't  mind if 'an h...' accompanies a certain kind of antiquated accent – say,  the kind we associate with an 80-year-old dowager whose pronunciations  of 'often' and 'orphan' are identical. (The Dame Edith Evans type.)  Otherwise, I feel it should be a flogging offence.

But you're probably safer with 'an h...' in written English, at least. No one can say you're _wrong_._


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## blasita

Thanks a lot for your detailed and clear explanation, Luo.

Un saludo.


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## lospazio

I've looked up the words "historic" and "historical" in the _Longman Pronunciation Dictionary _by JC Wells, the 1990 edition, and I've found the following in both: _sometimes without _h _when after the indefinite article _an. There's nothing of the kind in "hotel".


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## gringuitoloco

[FONT=Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif]This is what the grammarian's grammarian, Henry Fowler, has to say on the subject:
​[/FONT]​​[FONT=Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif]
​[/FONT]​​[FONT=Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif]




​*. . .* *an **was formerly used before an unaccented syllable beginning with **h**and is still often seen and heard (**an historian, an hotel, an hysterical scene, an hereditary title, an habitual offender**).  But now that the **h** in such words is pronounced, the distinction has become anomalous and will no doubt disappear in time.  Meantime, speakers who like to say **an** should not try to have it both ways by aspirating the** h**. 



*So, I guess technically both are correct. I still like to use the unaccented first syllable h rule, personally. But I guess the choice is up to you. (Another example of me being reluctant to "evolve" a perfectly good language.)[/FONT]​​


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## grahamcracker

Please keep in mind that some words dating back before American colonization are likely to appear with the article in both forms "a" and "an". There is a reason for this. Take, for example, "herb" as it is found in the King James Bible. It is clear in that translation that the translators did not pronounce the "h" because it consistently appears  as "an herb". However, modern American English consistently pronounces the "h" in "herb". While no other examples come immediately to mind, it would surprise me if someone could produce a small list of them.

I recently read an internet article after watching the movie "My Fair Lady" with Rex Harrison and Audrey Hepburn. The use of the "dropped h" shows up in many languages as well as English. Its disappearance and reappearance in English over the centuries has occurred many times in its various dialects.

By the way, I highly recommend non-native English speakers watch the movie, "My Fair Lady", if nothing else for the education value. 
But it is a highly entertaining movie, in my opinion.


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## grahamcracker

luo.mai said:


> I don't know where the person was from who said "an half", but that is definitely *not* typical American English. The "h" is pronounced, so it's "a half".
> 
> I disagree with gringuitoloco about "an hotel"—it should be "a hotel".  Use of "an" vs "a" has nothing to do with syllabic stress and everything to do with whether the noun begins with a consonant sound or a vowel sound. In the case of the letter "h", this means we use "a" when the "h" is aspirated and "an" when the "h" is silent. In American English, the "h" in "hotel" is pronounced, so one should always say and write "a hotel".
> 
> As for "a historic" vs "an historic", that's a matter of debate. Use of "an historic" makes sense if you speak with a particular accent in which the "h" is silent here, which was apparently common a couple generations ago, at least in England. But because this usage has historical precedent, it has come to be seen as standard grammar and is still taught in schools even in the US, where we pronounce the "h". Many of us, however (myself included), think "an historic" sounds very affected and should be avoided. Apparently this is not unique to the US—I found this quote from a Briton on another forum:
> 
> _As  for me, 'an hotel' and 'an historical' set my teeth on edge. I don't  mind if 'an h...' accompanies a certain kind of antiquated accent – say,  the kind we associate with an 80-year-old dowager whose pronunciations  of 'often' and 'orphan' are identical. (The Dame Edith Evans type.)  Otherwise, I feel it should be a flogging offence.
> 
> But you're probably safer with 'an h...' in written English, at least. No one can say you're _wrong_._


I remember an anecdote I heard a long time ago. A British speaker schooled in Britain said her teacher kept a carved wooden "h" on his desk. When I student mispronounced a word and omitted the "h" sound, the instructor would hand him/her the wooden "h" to keep on his desk as reminder of his/her error the class period. The teacher would say, "You forgot something" and would hand the carved letter to the student. Some British dialects consistently omitted the "h" and attempts in British schools were made to teach students that standard English did not make that mistake.


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## luo.mai

grahamcracker said:


> Please keep in mind that some words dating back before American colonization are likely to appear with the article in both forms "a" and "an". There is a reason for this. Take, for example, "herb" as it is found in the King James Bible. It is clear in that translation that the translators did not pronounce the "h" because it consistently appears  as "an herb". However, modern American English consistently pronounces the "h" in "herb". While no other examples come immediately to mind, it would surprise me if someone could produce a small list of them.



I don't pronounce the "h" in "herb", and my accent is quite neutral Midwestern. Various dictionaries seem to agree with this pronunciation: /ɜrb or, especially Brit., hɜrb/ (see dictionary.com). I do of course pronounce the "h" in "Herb"—_i.e._, a man's name, shortened from "Herbert"—but that's another matter entirely.


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## blasita

Muchas gracias a todos.


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## grahamcracker

luo.mai said:


> I don't pronounce the "h" in "herb", and my accent is quite neutral Midwestern. Various dictionaries seem to agree with this pronunciation: /ɜrb or, especially Brit., hɜrb/ (see dictionary.com). I do of course pronounce the "h" in "Herb"—_i.e._, a man's name, shortened from "Herbert"—but that's another matter entirely.


I have heard it both ways but I was not sure if it was the influence of the area I grew up in. I grew up in Michigan and the "h" was pronounced in normal conversation.


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## luo.mai

grahamcracker said:


> I have heard it both ways but I was not sure if it was the influence of the area I grew up in. I grew up in Michigan and the "h" was pronounced in normal conversation.



Now that's funny—I'm from Michigan, too. (Traverse City, specifically.)


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## grahamcracker

luo.mai said:


> Now that's funny—I'm from Michigan, too. (Traverse City, specifically.)


I grew up Downriver from Detroit.


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## zenkyumaestro

Gringuitoloco, why are you reluctant to 'evolve' a language which has evolved like no other since the times of Chaucer and before...? Do you want it to stop evolving? But it's such a perfectly good, _evolving_ language.


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## duvija

grahamcracker said:


> I grew up Downriver from Detroit.



Oh, you, Michiganders... and your strange h.


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## gringuitoloco

Because I think there is "evolution" in language, and then there is laziness. People don't want to learn grammar, so they speak incorrectly until it gets to the point where people make it "just part of the language." I shouldn't say I'm against the evolution of language, as much as I am against people being lazy. We don't need to "dumb down" a language if people aren't intelligent enough to speak it; we need to increase the intelligence of the people so the language can PROgress...not REgress.

I things like "a historic" are people being lazy. They say "an before h-words just sounds pompous," when in reality they just don't want to learn the rules behind the grammar....part of what makes a language great.

Personally, I think I'll stick with the dialect of English that says an historic. 


(It's funny....After saying all that I realize that I speak Castellano Argentino, one of the laziest Spanishes.  lol)


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## duvija

gringuitoloco said:


> People don't want to learn grammar, so they speak incorrectly until it gets to the point where people make it "just part of the language." I things like "a historic" are people being lazy.
> (It's funny....After saying all that I realize that I speak Castellano Argentino, one of the laziest Spanishes.  lol)



And where did you get your data from? what's that 'laziness' business? Language change happens. And it's not, I repeat, it's not going from complex to easy. 
There were some theories (like Natural Phonology, Stampe, in the 70's) that made such a claim, easily disproved by any of the changes we know from Latin to Spanish (or any other combination of languages, or any language just with/by itself). The results can be waaaay more complicated than the original facts/rules/whatever.
Do you really believe in 'laziness'? (I can't even imagine anyone happily saying something like that).


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## lospazio

gringuitoloco said:


> Because I think there is "evolution" in language, and then there is laziness. People don't want to learn grammar, so they speak incorrectly until it gets to the point where people make it "just part of the language." I shouldn't say I'm against the evolution of language, as much as I am against people being lazy. We don't need to "dumb down" a language if people aren't intelligent enough to speak it; we need to increase the intelligence of the people so the language can PROgress...not REgress.
> 
> I things like "a historic" are people being lazy. They say "an before h-words just sounds pompous," when in reality they just don't want to learn the rules behind the grammar....part of what makes a language great.
> 
> Personally, I think I'll stick with the dialect of English that says an historic.
> 
> 
> (It's funny....After saying all that I realize that I speak Castellano Argentino, one of the laziest Spanishes.  lol)



Could you possibly describe in more depth why the Spanish spoken in Argentina is _lazy_? I have never heard of such a thing and I think it would be highly enlightening.

Thank you.


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## luo.mai

gringuitoloco said:


> I things like "a historic" are people being lazy. They say "an before h-words just sounds pompous," when in reality they just don't want to learn the rules behind the grammar....part of what makes a language great.


   I completely disagree. The grammatical rule is "'a' before consonant sounds, 'an' before vowel sounds". "An historic" comes from the fact that certain influential people in years past pronounced "historic" as "istoric"; pronouncing the "h" means you should use "a", not "an", according to proper grammar.

      In my view, then, "an historic" is ungrammatical in modern English, since the "h" should be pronounced. It's continued usage comes not from adherence to sound rules, but rather from people ignoring sound reason and blindly doing what their eighth-grade English teacher told them, lest they be accused of writing incorrectly.


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## chileno

All this talk about pronunciation of the letter H reminded me of this sketch.

Foul language ahead, folloow the link at your own risk 

Eddie Izzard 

An excellent comedian and one my favorites.


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## weeshus

gringuitoloco said:


> Because I think there is "evolution" in language, and then there is laziness. People don't want to learn grammar, so they speak incorrectly until it gets to the point where people make it "just part of the language." I shouldn't say I'm against the evolution of language, as much as I am against people being lazy. We don't need to "dumb down" a language if people aren't intelligent enough to speak it; we need to increase the intelligence of the people so the language can PROgress...not REgress. _*There is a great deal of truth in what you say - but I think that  care is needed in accepting the whole of your post*_.
> 
> I things like "a historic" are people being lazy. They say "an before h-words just sounds pompous," when in reality they just don't want to learn the rules behind the grammar....part of what makes a language great. _*I don't agree that a historic is grammatically incorrect but generally in England those setting out on their education do not want, nor in many cases do they have the opportunity, to learn the rules*_
> 
> Personally, I think I'll stick with the dialect of English that says an historic. _*that one is up to you!!*_
> (It's funny....After saying all that I realize that I speak Castellano Argentino, one of the laziest Spanishes.  lol)



However for me to continue would be to go completely off topic and I am not sure in which forum a thread entitled "The destruction of the English Language - myth or ever present danger" should be posted!

Have just watched Chileno's link to Eddie Izzard - agree with his health warning *but *it is a very amusing "take" on the foibles of our language.

Regards
weeshus


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## duvija

weeshus said:


> However for me to continue would be to go completely off topic and I am not sure in which forum a thread entitled "The destruction of the English Language - myth or ever present danger" should be posted!
> 
> Have just watched Chileno's link to Eddie Izzard - agree with his health warning *but *it is a very amusing "take" on the foibles of our language.
> 
> Regards
> weeshus



I'd wholeheartedly support a new link in the Culture Café, with or without Eddie Izzard. Preferably with.


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## blasita

Good idea, Weeshus and Duvi, I'll try to open it soon (with Chileno's idea, of course).

Fascinating comments. Thank you *all! *


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## panjandrum

The thread already referred to in English Only now has two posts (166 and 168) that, in my view, very nicely summarise this issue, using text from Fowler's Modern English Usage (second and third editions).
Here are the relevant parts:


> *A* is used before all consonants except silent h (a history, an hour);
> *AN* was formerly usual before an unaccented syllable beginning with h _and is still often seen and heard_ (an hist*o*rian, an hot*e*l, an hyst*e*rical scene, an her*e*ditary title, an hab*i*tual offender).  [my emphasis].
> ...
> *A *is now usual also before any vowel letters that in pronuciation are preceded by a consonantal sound (a unit, a eulogy, a one)





> Opinion is divided over the form to use before _h_-words in which the first syllable is unstessed: the thoroughly modern thing to do is to use _a_ (never _an_) together with an aspirated _h _(_a habitual, a heroic, a historical, a Homeric, a hypothesis_), but not to demur if others use _an _with minimal or nil aspiration given to the following _h _(_an historic, an horrific_, etc).
> ... _an hotel_ is now old-fashioned, but by no means extinct.
> ... AmE herb, being pronounced with silent _h_, is always preceded by _an_, but the same word in BrE, being pronounced with an aspirated _h_, by _a_.


Not being thoroughly modern, I frequently say, and write, an before h-words in which the first syllable is unstressed.


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## blasita

I was about to do it myself. Thank you very much, Panjandrum.

Cheers.


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