aitches

[Michael Quinion]

Joel S. Berson wrote

> As near as I can tell -- although I'm beginning to doubt myself as a
> continue my recitals, particularly with historian - I say
>
> a hilarious anecdote
> an historian
> a universal joint

My subscribers often query my writing "an hotel", which is an old-
fashioned British usage. I'm happy with "an historian", too ... This may
be relevant:

I have lived to see great changes in this respect. I have known the mute
"h" to become audible, and the audible "h" to become mute. I was taught to
pronounce the words "humble", "hospital", "herbs", and "honest" without an
"h", and can't get out of my old fashion without a struggle. Nevertheless
people now talk of "hospital", "humble", "herb", and I have heard people
talk of a "honest" man. [Samuel Lysons, "Our Vulgar Tongue" (1868)]


--
Michael Quinion
Editor, World Wide Words
E-mail: wordseditor at worldwidewords.org
Web: http://www.worldwidewords.org

------------------------------------------------------------
The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org