Fw: [ADS-L] Can a have an A, men?

ronbutters at AOL.COM ronbutters at AOL.COM
Thu Feb 5 00:16:26 UTC 2009


Schools try to teach students to WRITE "an" under certain circumstances. I don't believe that the pronunciation is generally taught. It is too inconsequential. Indeed, it is obvious from this thread that people go through many years of their lives and don't even notice it until something draws their attention to it (perhaps a desire to feel superior to the speaker). I was a professor of English at Duke before I even realized that this was a feature of my own speech

By the way, this has all been discussed here before.

------Original Message------
From: Dan Goodman
Sender: ADS-L
To: ADS-L
ReplyTo: dsgood at iphouse.com
Subject: Re: [ADS-L] Can a have an A, men?
Sent: Feb 4, 2009 6:28 PM

Jocelyn Limpert wrote:
> ---------------------- Information from the mail header -----------------------
> Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> Poster:       Jocelyn Limpert <jocelyn.limpert at GMAIL.COM>
> Subject:      Re: Can a have an A, men?
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> I'm glad the "a/an" problem that our new president has was finally mentioned
> on this site. And, yes, it is like nails on a blackboard. I thought everyone
> (yes, everyone) learned the distinction early on in grammar school.

Just because everyone is _taught_ it in grammar school doesn't mean
everyone _learns_ it.  And of those who learn it, many would retain the
knowledge only as long as it was needed for school.

There are adults who don't understand the distinction between nonfiction
and fiction, don't understand the laws of probability, etc. -- but who
were taught these things.

Note:  I would say "grade school" or "elementary school" rather than
grade school.

--
Dan Goodman
"I have always depended on the kindness of stranglers."
Tennessee Williams, A Streetcar Named Expire
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