[HPFGU-OTChatter] Re: Pronunciations

[Jen Faulkner]

On Mon, 7 May 2001 nera at rconnect.com wrote:

> *********************************************
> Probably, for the same reason that we drop the H in hors deurves, but
> I don't know the reason for that one, either.

The h is dropped from hors d'oeurves because it's (pronounced as) a
French phrase and h's are silent in French.  As for why the h in herb
isn't pronounced, it probably has to do with regional variants in the UK
and which one made it to the colonies, since it came into English from
Latin by way of Old French, and is variously spelled in ME and OF with
or without an h.

> I always wondered about "an historic event" ... is it "an" because it
> *sounds* like a vowel following the "an"?

The h can be silent in 'historic' and 'historian', though it's usually
pronounced in 'history', I think.  In the variant of US English I grew
up speaking, we said 'a historic', 'a historian', pronouncing the h; my
pronunciation has altered since going to college to reflect the (higher
status in academia) pronunciation with a dropped h (and then the
necessary 'an')...

--jen :)

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