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Subject:
From:
Scott Catledge <[log in to unmask]>
Reply To:
Assembly for the Teaching of English Grammar <[log in to unmask]>
Date:
Tue, 30 Aug 2011 09:29:33 -0400
Content-Type:
text/plain
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Why would one say an hotel without the /h/ and /Di/ hotel with the /h/.
Should not one drop the /h/ or say the article with a schwa--not an /i/.
Is that just as ideolectical variation on my part?

Scott

-----Original Message-----
From: Assembly for the Teaching of English Grammar
[mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of ATEG automatic digest system
Sent: Tuesday, August 30, 2011 12:00 AM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: ATEG Digest - 28 Aug 2011 to 29 Aug 2011 (#2011-162)

There are 3 messages totalling 568 lines in this issue.

Topics of the day:

  1. Dropping the h (3)

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----------------------------------------------------------------------

Date:    Mon, 29 Aug 2011 12:19:35 -0400
From:    Scott Catledge <[log in to unmask]>
Subject: Dropping the h

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My MS Word did not like most of the discussion and left only a few sentences
legible.

For this reason I may be repeating what others have said; if so , my
apology.

 

I keep the 'h' in "the historical" and drop it in "an historical."  I say "a
history."  Why do

I not say "an history."  The very presence of 'an' tells me that the 'h' in
historical is

silent-but why?  I cannot think of another phrase comparable to "an
historical"  

 except 'an hysterical."  

Can you?

 

Norman Scott Catledge, PhD/STD

Professor Emeritus

history & languages

 


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</o:shapelayout></xml><![endif]--></head><body lang=3DEN-US link=3Dblue =
vlink=3Dpurple><div class=3DWordSection1><p class=3DMsoNormal>My MS Word =
did not like most of the discussion and left only a few sentences =
legible.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=3DMsoNormal>For this reason I may be =
repeating what others have said; if so , my apology.<o:p></o:p></p><p =
class=3DMsoNormal><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p></p><p class=3DMsoNormal>I keep the =
&#8216;h&#8217; in &#8220;the historical&#8221; and drop it in &#8220;an =
historical.&#8221;&nbsp; I say &#8220;a history.&#8221;&nbsp; Why =
do<o:p></o:p></p><p class=3DMsoNormal>I not say &#8220;an =
history.&#8221;&nbsp; The very presence of &#8216;an&#8217; tells me =
that the &#8216;h&#8217; in historical is<o:p></o:p></p><p =
class=3DMsoNormal>silent&#8212;but why?&nbsp; I cannot think of another =
phrase comparable to &#8220;an historical&#8221;&nbsp; <o:p></o:p></p><p =
class=3DMsoNormal>&nbsp;except &#8216;an hysterical.&#8221;&nbsp; =
<o:p></o:p></p><p class=3DMsoNormal>Can you?<o:p></o:p></p><p =
class=3DMsoNormal><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p></p><p class=3DMsoNormal>Norman Scott =
Catledge, PhD/STD<o:p></o:p></p><p class=3DMsoNormal>Professor =
Emeritus<o:p></o:p></p><p class=3DMsoNormal>history &amp; =
languages<o:p></o:p></p><p =
class=3DMsoNormal><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p></p></div></body></html>
To join or leave this LISTSERV list, please visit the list's web interface
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<p>
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------------------------------

Date:    Mon, 29 Aug 2011 17:24:54 -0400
From:    Eduard Hanganu <[log in to unmask]>
Subject: Re: Dropping the h

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Norman Scott,=20



I _ope _hat _his _elpful t_oug_t and r_etorical question mig_t _elp t_is _o=
st of folks to _ave an _istorical impact on _his issue.=20





=C2=A0=20

Eduard=20







----- Original Message -----


From: "Scott Catledge" <[log in to unmask]>=20
To: [log in to unmask]
Sent: Monday, August 29, 2011 11:19:35 AM=20
Subject: Dropping the h=20




My MS Word did not like most of the discussion and left only a few sentence=
s legible.=20

For this reason I may be repeating what others have said; if so , my apolog=
y.=20

=C2=A0=20

I keep the =E2=80=98h=E2=80=99 in =E2=80=9Cthe historical=E2=80=9D and drop=
 it in =E2=80=9Can historical.=E2=80=9D=C2=A0 I say =E2=80=9Ca history.=E2=
=80=9D=C2=A0 Why do=20

I not say =E2=80=9Can history.=E2=80=9D=C2=A0 The very presence of =E2=80=
=98an=E2=80=99 tells me that the =E2=80=98h=E2=80=99 in historical is=20

silent=E2=80=94but why?=C2=A0 I cannot think of another phrase comparable t=
o =E2=80=9Can historical=E2=80=9D=C2=A0=20

=C2=A0except =E2=80=98an hysterical.=E2=80=9D=C2=A0=20

Can you?=20

=C2=A0=20

Norman Scott Catledge, PhD/STD=20

Professor Emeritus=20

history & languages=20

=C2=A0 To join or leave this LISTSERV list, please visit the list's web int=
erface at: http://listserv.muohio.edu/archives/ateg.html and select "Join o=
r leave the list"=20

Visit ATEG's web site at http://ateg.org/

To join or leave this LISTSERV list, please visit the list's web interface
at:
     http://listserv.muohio.edu/archives/ateg.html
and select "Join or leave the list"

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<html><head><style type=3D'text/css'>p { margin: 0; }</style></head><body><=
div style=3D'font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt; color: #000000'=
><P>Norman Scott,</P>
<P>&nbsp;</P>
<P style=3D"MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=3DMsoNormal><FONT size=3D3><FONT fac=
e=3D"Times New Roman">I _ope _hat _his _elpful t_oug_t and r_etorical quest=
ion mig_t _elp t_is _ost of folks to _ave an _istorical impact on _his issu=
e.<?xml:namespace prefix =3D o ns =3D "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:off=
ice" /><o:p></o:p></FONT></FONT></P>
<P style=3D"MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=3DMsoNormal><o:p><FONT size=3D3 face=
=3D"Times New Roman">&nbsp;</FONT></o:p></P>
<P style=3D"MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=3DMsoNormal><FONT size=3D3><FONT fac=
e=3D"Times New Roman">Eduard <o:p></o:p></FONT></FONT></P>
<P><BR><BR>&nbsp;</P>
<P>
<HR id=3Dzwchr>
</P>
<P><B>From: </B>"Scott Catledge" &lt;[log in to unmask]&gt;<BR><B>To: </B>ATEG=
@LISTSERV.MUOHIO.EDU<BR><B>Sent: </B>Monday, August 29, 2011 11:19:35 AM<BR=
><B>Subject: </B>Dropping the h<BR><BR></P>
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<DIV class=3DWordSection1>
<P class=3DMsoNormal>My MS Word did not like most of the discussion and lef=
t only a few sentences legible.</P>
<P class=3DMsoNormal>For this reason I may be repeating what others have sa=
id; if so , my apology.</P>
<P class=3DMsoNormal>&nbsp;</P>
<P class=3DMsoNormal>I keep the =E2=80=98h=E2=80=99 in =E2=80=9Cthe histori=
cal=E2=80=9D and drop it in =E2=80=9Can historical.=E2=80=9D&nbsp; I say =
=E2=80=9Ca history.=E2=80=9D&nbsp; Why do</P>
<P class=3DMsoNormal>I not say =E2=80=9Can history.=E2=80=9D&nbsp; The very=
 presence of =E2=80=98an=E2=80=99 tells me that the =E2=80=98h=E2=80=99 in =
historical is</P>
<P class=3DMsoNormal>silent=E2=80=94but why?&nbsp; I cannot think of anothe=
r phrase comparable to =E2=80=9Can historical=E2=80=9D&nbsp; </P>
<P class=3DMsoNormal>&nbsp;except =E2=80=98an hysterical.=E2=80=9D&nbsp; </=
P>
<P class=3DMsoNormal>Can you?</P>
<P class=3DMsoNormal>&nbsp;</P>
<P class=3DMsoNormal>Norman Scott Catledge, PhD/STD</P>
<P class=3DMsoNormal>Professor Emeritus</P>
<P class=3DMsoNormal>history &amp; languages</P>
<P class=3DMsoNormal>&nbsp;</P></DIV>To join or leave this LISTSERV list, p=
lease visit the list's web interface at: http://listserv.muohio.edu/archive=
s/ateg.html and select "Join or leave the list"=20
<P>Visit ATEG's web site at http://ateg.org/</P></div></body></html>
To join or leave this LISTSERV list, please visit the list's web interface
at:
     http://listserv.muohio.edu/archives/ateg.html
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<p>
Visit ATEG's web site at http://ateg.org/
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------------------------------

Date:    Mon, 29 Aug 2011 23:45:34 -0400
From:    "STAHLKE, HERBERT F" <[log in to unmask]>
Subject: Re: Dropping the h

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Here's a short treatment of initial <h> in English.  I'm taking a historica=
l approach to the problem in part out of inclination-I do historical lingui=
stics, but I also think understanding why orthographic initial <h> behaves =
a little oddly in English requires understanding its history.  In this disc=
ussion, I'm using the linguistic conventions of // to identify sounds and <=
> to identify letters.

/h/ deletion is a bit messy.  One of the fundamental discoveries and princi=
ples of historical linguistics is that sound change is regular.  If a sound=
 changes, it changes all across the language, not just in some words.  For =
example, English /t/ has deleted consistently between a fricative (/th, f, =
s/) and /l/ or /n/, as in "listen," "whistle," "wrestle," "often," etc.  Ho=
wever, social and other external pressures can interfere with this regulari=
ty, and that's what's happened with English initial /h/.  Old English had i=
nitial /h/ in words like "horse," "heart," "hand," "hound," and many others=
 and did not drop it.  /h/ dropping didn't begin till well after the Norman=
 invasion and was influenced by French spelling.  English borrowed lots of =
French words spelled with initial <h>, a sound that was not, and is not tod=
ay, pronounced in French.  In fact, those initial <h> had never been pronou=
nced, not even when they originated in Latin, as most of them did.  So the =
words were borrowed without the initial /h/ sound but were spelled with the=
 letter <h>.

As literacy spread, English speakers who did not speak French confronted in=
itial <h> that were pronounced and initial <h> that were not.  We still hav=
e this in words like "honor," "honest," and "hour," all French loans that h=
ave remained /h/-less, unlike "hotel" and "hospital," French loans that hav=
e gained an initial /h/.  The initial <h> that are now pronounced in loan w=
ords are examples of what's called "spelling pronunciation," the same force=
 that leads people to pronounce the <t> in "often" or the <l> in "almond." =
 Spelling pronunciation applies haphazardly.  It's not a form of regular so=
und change.  Rather, it a kind of hyper-correction.  In many cases, the ini=
tial /h/ has come to be accepted as standard, as in "history"; in others it=
 has not.

The difference between "an historic event," without the /h/, and "a history=
 of English," with the /h/, shows how the /h/-less pronunciation of the loa=
nword would lead to the use of the indefinite "an" and the definite /Di/, w=
hich sounds like "thee."  What has happened with some words, like "history,=
" is that they have sounded the initial <h> through spelling pronunciation,=
 and this change then analogizes to the adjective form so that it too is co=
nsonant-initial and takes the indefinite "a."

/h/-insertion, in those dialects of BrE English that have it, and this cove=
rs most of England, is a form of hypercorrection.  The speaker knows that i=
n BBC English, for example, some <h> are pronounced and some are not, but t=
he speaker doesn't know which are which, and so he or she will tend to omit=
 /h/ unless the word is emphasized, in which case an /h/ gets inserted whet=
her it's there in BBC English or not.  Like other examples of hypercorrecti=
on, this is not a rule-governed, regular phonological pattern.  It varies w=
ith speakers and occasions.

Herb

From: Assembly for the Teaching of English Grammar [mailto:[log in to unmask]
OHIO.EDU] On Behalf Of Scott Catledge
Sent: Monday, August 29, 2011 12:20 PM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Dropping the h

My MS Word did not like most of the discussion and left only a few sentence=
s legible.
For this reason I may be repeating what others have said; if so , my apolog=
y.

I keep the 'h' in "the historical" and drop it in "an historical."  I say "=
a history."  Why do
I not say "an history."  The very presence of 'an' tells me that the 'h' in=
 historical is
silent-but why?  I cannot think of another phrase comparable to "an histori=
cal"
 except 'an hysterical."
Can you?

Norman Scott Catledge, PhD/STD
Professor Emeritus
history & languages

To join or leave this LISTSERV list, please visit the list's web interface =
at: http://listserv.muohio.edu/archives/ateg.html and select "Join or leave=
 the list"

Visit ATEG's web site at http://ateg.org/

To join or leave this LISTSERV list, please visit the list's web interface
at:
     http://listserv.muohio.edu/archives/ateg.html
and select "Join or leave the list"

Visit ATEG's web site at http://ateg.org/

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nk=3Dpurple><div class=3DWordSection1><p class=3DMsoNormal>Here&#8217;s a s=
hort treatment of initial &lt;h&gt; in English.&nbsp; I&#8217;m taking a hi=
storical approach to the problem in part out of inclination&#8212;I do hist=
orical linguistics, but I also think understanding why orthographic initial=
 &lt;h&gt; behaves a little oddly in English requires understanding its his=
tory.&nbsp; In this discussion, I&#8217;m using the linguistic conventions =
of // to identify sounds and &lt;&gt; to identify letters.&nbsp; <o:p></o:p=
></p><p class=3DMsoNormal><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p></p><p class=3DMsoNormal>/h/ del=
etion is a bit messy.&nbsp; One of the fundamental discoveries and principl=
es of historical linguistics is that sound change is regular.&nbsp; If a so=
und changes, it changes all across the language, not just in some words.&nb=
sp; For example, English /t/ has deleted consistently between a fricative (=
/th, f, s/) and /l/ or /n/, as in &#8220;listen,&#8221; &#8220;whistle,&#82=
21; &#8220;wrestle,&#8221; &#8220;often,&#8221; etc.&nbsp; However, social =
and other external pressures can interfere with this regularity, and that&#=
8217;s what&#8217;s happened with English initial /h/.&nbsp; Old English ha=
d initial /h/ in words like &#8220;horse,&#8221; &#8220;heart,&#8221; &#822=
0;hand,&#8221; &#8220;hound,&#8221; and many others and did not drop it.&nb=
sp; /h/ dropping didn&#8217;t begin till well after the Norman invasion and=
 was influenced by French spelling.&nbsp; English borrowed lots of French w=
ords spelled with initial &lt;h&gt;, a sound that was not, and is not today=
, pronounced in French.&nbsp; In fact, those initial &lt;h&gt; had never be=
en pronounced, not even when they originated in Latin, as most of them did.=
&nbsp; So the words were borrowed without the initial /h/ sound but were sp=
elled with the letter &lt;h&gt;.&nbsp;&nbsp; <o:p></o:p></p><p class=3DMsoN=
ormal><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p></p><p class=3DMsoNormal>As literacy spread, English=
 speakers who did not speak French confronted initial &lt;h&gt; that were p=
ronounced and initial &lt;h&gt; that were not.&nbsp; We still have this in =
words like &#8220;honor,&#8221; &#8220;honest,&#8221; and &#8220;hour,&#822=
1; all French loans that have remained /h/-less, unlike &#8220;hotel&#8221;=
 and &#8220;hospital,&#8221; French loans that have gained an initial /h/.&=
nbsp; The initial &lt;h&gt; that are now pronounced in loan words are examp=
les of what&#8217;s called &#8220;spelling pronunciation,&#8221; the same f=
orce that leads people to pronounce the &lt;t&gt; in &#8220;often&#8221; or=
 the &lt;l&gt; in &#8220;almond.&#8221;&nbsp; Spelling pronunciation applie=
s haphazardly.&nbsp; It&#8217;s not a form of regular sound change.&nbsp; R=
ather, it a kind of hyper-correction.&nbsp; In many cases, the initial /h/ =
has come to be accepted as standard, as in &#8220;history&#8221;; in others=
 it has not.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=3DMsoNormal><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p></p><p cla=
ss=3DMsoNormal>The difference between &#8220;an historic event,&#8221; with=
out the /h/, and &#8220;a history of English,&#8221; with the /h/, shows ho=
w the /h/-less pronunciation of the loanword would lead to the use of the i=
ndefinite &#8220;an&#8221; and the definite /Di/, which sounds like &#8220;=
thee.&#8221;&nbsp; What has happened with some words, like &#8220;history,&=
#8221; is that they have sounded the initial &lt;h&gt; through spelling pro=
nunciation, and this change then analogizes to the adjective form so that i=
t too is consonant-initial and takes the indefinite &#8220;a.&#8221;&nbsp; =
<o:p></o:p></p><p class=3DMsoNormal><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p></p><p class=3DMsoNorm=
al>/h/-insertion, in those dialects of BrE English that have it, and this c=
overs most of England, is a form of hypercorrection.&nbsp; The speaker know=
s that in BBC English, for example, some &lt;h&gt; are pronounced and some =
are not, but the speaker doesn&#8217;t know which are which, and so he or s=
he will tend to omit /h/ unless the word is emphasized, in which case an /h=
/ gets inserted whether it&#8217;s there in BBC English or not.&nbsp; Like =
other examples of hypercorrection, this is not a rule-governed, regular pho=
nological pattern.&nbsp; It varies with speakers and occasions.&nbsp; <o:p>=
</o:p></p><p class=3DMsoNormal><span style=3D'color:#1F497D'><o:p>&nbsp;</o=
:p></span></p><p class=3DMsoNormal><span style=3D'color:#1F497D'>Herb<o:p><=
/o:p></span></p><p class=3DMsoNormal><span style=3D'color:#1F497D'><o:p>&nb=
sp;</o:p></span></p><div><div style=3D'border:none;border-top:solid #B5C4DF=
 1.0pt;padding:3.0pt 0in 0in 0in'><p class=3DMsoNormal><b><span style=3D'fo=
nt-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Tahoma","sans-serif"'>From:</span></b><span sty=
le=3D'font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Tahoma","sans-serif"'> Assembly for the=
 Teaching of English Grammar [mailto:[log in to unmask]] <b>On Behalf=
 Of </b>Scott Catledge<br><b>Sent:</b> Monday, August 29, 2011 12:20 PM<br>=
<b>To:</b> [log in to unmask]<br><b>Subject:</b> Dropping the h<o:p><=
/o:p></span></p></div></div><p class=3DMsoNormal><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p></p><p cl=
ass=3DMsoNormal>My MS Word did not like most of the discussion and left onl=
y a few sentences legible.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=3DMsoNormal>For this reas=
on I may be repeating what others have said; if so , my apology.<o:p></o:p>=
</p><p class=3DMsoNormal><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p></p><p class=3DMsoNormal>I keep t=
he &#8216;h&#8217; in &#8220;the historical&#8221; and drop it in &#8220;an=
 historical.&#8221;&nbsp; I say &#8220;a history.&#8221;&nbsp; Why do<o:p><=
/o:p></p><p class=3DMsoNormal>I not say &#8220;an history.&#8221;&nbsp; The=
 very presence of &#8216;an&#8217; tells me that the &#8216;h&#8217; in his=
torical is<o:p></o:p></p><p class=3DMsoNormal>silent&#8212;but why?&nbsp; I=
 cannot think of another phrase comparable to &#8220;an historical&#8221;&n=
bsp; <o:p></o:p></p><p class=3DMsoNormal>&nbsp;except &#8216;an hysterical.=
&#8221;&nbsp; <o:p></o:p></p><p class=3DMsoNormal>Can you?<o:p></o:p></p><p=
 class=3DMsoNormal><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p></p><p class=3DMsoNormal>Norman Scott C=
atledge, PhD/STD<o:p></o:p></p><p class=3DMsoNormal>Professor Emeritus<o:p>=
</o:p></p><p class=3DMsoNormal>history &amp; languages<o:p></o:p></p><p cla=
ss=3DMsoNormal><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p></p><p class=3DMsoNormal><span style=3D'fon=
t-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>To join or leave this =
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pan></p><p>Visit ATEG's web site at <a href=3D"http://ateg.org/">http://ate=
g.org/</a><o:p></o:p></p></div></body></html>=
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End of ATEG Digest - 28 Aug 2011 to 29 Aug 2011 (#2011-162)
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