OT: The correct use of 'an'

I’m under the impression ‘an’ is based on how a word is pronounced and not if it begins with a vowel.

eg an egg, a euphemism, an hour, a hotel

Is that correct?

or an h.

an hotel

AN hotel

Correct.

Should that be the correct use of an “an”.?

An hotel is an affectation.

I should clarify…the OP was correct, but you lot are wrong.

IIRC you use “an” before a word that startws with a vowel sound. So if its a silent “H” then its “an” an hour but a hotel as in hour its a silent “H” but in hotel its not.

If you say something like “… an historic…” you may be semantically correct, but you are a first class trwat

While we’re at it, I’ve noticed a proliferation of the use of the word “looser”, when they mean “loser”.
Losers.

An Swan ?

A Eagle ?

If you say something like “… an historic…” you may be semantically correct, but you are a first class trwat

+1 to that, does my head in.

It’s a hotel, apparently.

oxforddictionaries

if that’s how you decide, who decides how the written word will be pronounced ?

plenty would say ‘otel (me included) but they’d not find it easy to argue that they’re correct

Yep, it’s based on the sound of the word rather than the first letter.

a hotel
a hospital
a unique
a habitat
a horrible

an hour

From the Guardian Style Guide:

a or an before h?
use an only if the h is silent: an hour, an heir, an honourable man, an honest woman; but a
hero, a hotel, a historian (but don’t change a direct quote if the speaker says, for example, “an
historic”)

Wikipedia article here

Never thought about this before, but after reading the wiki this issue so confusing and wide ranging that I think its difficult to have a “correct” form. Obviously what is “correct” is subjective to a large degree, but almost all “English” speakers would say the “Red Apple” but not the “Apple Red”, so I would suggest the “Red Apple” is correct. But this issue seems too complex.

For instance the wikipedia article even mentions this

Some British dialects (for example, Cockney) silence all initial h’s (h-dropping) and so employ “an” all the time: e.g., “an ‘elmet”. The article “an” is sometimes seen in such phrases as “an historic”, “an heroic” and “an hotel of excellence”

Which suggests an hotel may be correct depending on where you on from.

Apparently An is related to Ein in german and we have gradualy dropped the n. But apparently the process can work in reverse. ->
Supposedly the word apron should be napron. Napron” itself meant “little tablecloth” and is related to the word “napkin”. But it has ended up going from a napron to an apron.

Also the process can add an n to a word ie it should be an ewt but the n shifted to give a newt.

Which may mean if the cockey form kept developing we may end up with

An hotel -> a notel.

From Usage and Abusage – Partridge E., pp.34, 1947.

You’re quoting the Grauniad on the correct use of English?!! There worserer att shpellin and stuf dan wot i is

I think to answer bluebirds question he need to define what he means by correct.

To be honest I also think he needs to define “is” “that” as well starting from kind of basic language axioms that are undeniably true.

An hotel is an affectation.

Is there an ointment you can get for that?

Well, as with all affectations, you can stick it up your arse.

Well obviously it’s an achronism… 🙄

What about “Historian”? (the profession), would that be “a or an” Historian?

If you say something like “… an historic…” you may be semantically correct, but you are a first class trwat

Well, what about those types who say……….

” off of “

Aarrrgh !, aArrggh. I hate that.

There has been variation on how the initial H in words was pronounced. I seem to remember that hotel used to be pronounced with a silent h like hour, hence an hotel (which would make sense if it’s a French-ism). The silence or otherwise of the h does not survive in print, but the n does. Hence confusion.

Well, what about those types who say……….

” off of “

Aarrrgh !, aArrggh. I hate that.

I struggle to understand why so many people get wound up by the way other people use language. Ain’t that wot’s so nice about it. Language is a living thing, innit. The ‘proper’ way to speak now, is pretty different from 100 years ago.

on say thats very much on the by and by old chap

whatever is easier for the way that you speak english. for me there is no queens english, just lots of variations that are all valid.

for me, its easier to say ‘an historian’ than ‘a historian’ an account of how pronounced my h’s are/aren’t.

either way i don’t suppose its worth getting bent out of shape over it.

Daffy – Member

What about “Historian”? (the profession), would that be “a or an” Historian?
Depends on if you drop the “h” or not. A hotel, an ‘otel

Learn esperanto, it’s easier.

McHamish – Member

I should clarify…the OP was correct, but you lot are wrong.

+1.

an diamond, for example

a diamond

Depends on if you drop the “h” or not. A hotel, an ‘otel

Part of the affectation comes, not from estuarians failing to include all pronouncable letters in their utterances, but in the contiuing grip onto the past perpetrated by the (thankfully) diminishing aristocracy. Once they would converse with each other in French, and so “un hotel” becomes “an ‘otel”.

I am a plebian, but never will I pronouce “aitch” as “haitch”.

an diamond

Anna Dapter.

<whoosh> for Jeremy 😆

an mtb

TandemJeremy – Member
a diamond

pardon?