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Q: Phrase "an historic..." - gramatical logic? ( Answered 5 out of 5 stars,   1 Comment )
Question  
Subject: Phrase "an historic..." - gramatical logic?
Category: Miscellaneous
Asked by: ellabee-ga
List Price: $7.00
Posted: 05 Apr 2006 06:14 PDT
Expires: 05 May 2006 06:14 PDT
Question ID: 715666
What is the origin of or grammatical logic behind the phrase "an
historic..."?  It appears to be a misuse of the English language that has
become perfectly acceptable; yet one would NOT be correct in saying
"It was 'an hot' day today", etc...
Answer  
Subject: Re: Phrase "an historic..." - gramatical logic?
Answered By: palitoy-ga on 05 Apr 2006 07:00 PDT
Rated:5 out of 5 stars
 
Hello ellabee-ga,

Thank-you for your question.

If the next word in the sentence SOUNDS LIKE it begins with a
consonant then you should use "a", if the next word in the sentence
SOUNDS LIKE it begins with a vowel you should use "an".  We therefore
get a car - not an car - or an apple - not a apple.  Whether you use
"a" or "an" for historic, and many other words beginning with "h",
depends on how *you* pronounce the word.  Some people say HIStoric
(those that would use an "a") and some would say hISToric (those that
would use an "an").

I believe that the language is adaptive and that neither is right or
wrong - the most important thing in language is getting the message
across correctly, whether you use "a" or "an" will probably not affect
the meaning of the message.  Many people will disagree with me here
(especially those who are very strict on grammar)!

The best argument I can find is on the Wikipedia:
"The form "an" is always prescribed before words beginning with a
silent "h," such as "honorable," "heir," "hour," and, in American
English, "herb." Some British dialects (e.g., Cockney) silence all
initial "h's" and so employ "an" all the time: e.g., "an 'elmet". Many
British usage books, therefore, discount a usage which some Americans
(amongst others) employ as being a derivative of the Cockney. The
reason is that the indefinite article "a" is pronounced either of two
ways: as a schwa or as the letter itself is pronounced, "long a." Some
words beginning with the letter "h" have the primary stress on the
second or later syllable. Pronouncing "a" as a schwa can diminish the
sound of the schwa and melt into the vowel. Pronouncing it as a "long
a" does not do this, but the pronunciation cannot be prescribed, the
word is spelled the same for either. Hence "an" may be seen in such
phrases as "an historic," "an heroic," and yes, "an hôtel of
excellence" was the by-line in an advertisement in a New York City
newspaper.

Such was also the case for some other words which take the place of
the article. "My" and "thy" became "mine" and "thine," as in "mine
uncle."

The appearance of "an" or "a" in front of words beginning with "h" is
not only limited to stress. Sometimes there are historical roots as
well. Words that may have had a route into English via French (where
all "h"s are unpronounced) may have "an" to avoid an unusual
pronunciation. Words that derived from German however would use "a" as
the "h"s would be pronounced. There is even some suggestion that
fashion may have had some influence. When England was ruled by a
French aristocracy, the tradition may have been to exclusively use
"an", whilst when Britain was governed by a German based monarchy the
tide may have changed to "a"."
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A%2C_an

There are several excellent online discussions of this at the following webpages:
http://blogs.newsobserver.com/grammar/index.php?title=a_vs_an_1&more=1&c=1&tb=1&pb=1
http://www.theslot.com/a-an.html
http://experts.about.com/q/English-Second-Language-1815/vs.htm
http://www.techwr-l.com/techwhirl/archives/0003/techwhirl-0003-00432.html
https://nautical.uwf.edu/unitapp/faq/list.cfm?ID=150&CLAN=333
http://www.wsu.edu/~brians/errors/anhistoric.html

I hope this answers your question.  Should you have any further
queries on this subject please do not hesitate to ask for
clarification.

Request for Answer Clarification by ellabee-ga on 05 Apr 2006 07:34 PDT
Not a request, but rather a 'thank you' for your prompt and detailed answer.  

And this:

>>"I believe that the language is adaptive and that neither is right or
wrong - the most important thing in language is getting the message
across correctly, whether you use "a" or "an" will probably not affect
the meaning of the message.  Many people will disagree with me here
(especially those who are very strict on grammar)!"<<

...another debate for another day!  :)

Thank you palitoy-ga........

Clarification of Answer by palitoy-ga on 05 Apr 2006 07:41 PDT
Glad I could answer your question!  Thanks for the 5-star rating and kind comments.
ellabee-ga rated this answer:5 out of 5 stars
I was amazed that within 30 minutes of posting the question,
palitoy-ga was working on it.  The answer was quite thorough, and I
appreciated the accompanying links.  Thank you very much!

Comments  
Subject: Re: Phrase "an historic..." - gramatical logic?
From: myoarin-ga on 05 Apr 2006 09:42 PDT
 
This differing usage is very old.  The word apron relates to napery
and napkin, as etymonline explain:

apron Look up apron at Dictionary.com
    1461, faulty separation of a napron (1307), from O.Fr. naperon,
dim. of nappe "cloth," from L. mappa "napkin" (cf. adder, umpire).
Napron was still found as late as late 16c. Symbolic of "wife's
business" from 1611. Apron-string tenure was in ref. to property held
in virtue of one's wife, or during her lifetime only.

Or the explanation about apron under "literature" on this site:
http://www.websters-online-dictionary.org/ap/apron.html

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