Pronunciations

[Milz]

--- In HPFGU-OTChatter at y..., catherine at c... wrote:
> --- In HPFGU-OTChatter at y..., Jen Faulkner <jfaulkne at e...> wrote:
> > On Mon, 7 May 2001 nera at r... 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 :)
> > 
> This is getting confusing, now.  In the UK (or the way I was taught 
> anyway), an always proceeded a word beginning in H, not a.  This is 
> in spite of the fact that we pronounce the H in historic, historian, 
> history.  So correct pronunciation would be "an Historic...", 
> pronouncing the H.  
> BTW: we don't pronounce the H in Hour.
> 
> Catherine

The US English I learned used 'an' before any 'ho_' word, like 'hour'. 
*shrugs* I remember my teacher saying it sounded better that way.

The oher word the UKers I've know pronounced differently is 
"lieutenant". In the US, it's pronounced "loo-tenant". In the UK it's 
more like "leff-tenant".

About Hebrew "ch", I worked in a primarily Yiddish community in New 
York some time ago. The "ch", as in challah, sounded like gutteral 
"hah", sort of like you're trying to clear your throat.

:-)Milz