Take the eighth letter of the alphabet, pronounce it haitch and then look for the slightly agonised look in some people's eyes. aitch Debate rages in Australia on whether the correct name of the letter 'H' is aitch or haitch. But what makes it so contentious in Australia specifically? The best kind of people are people without! If it Haitch vs. aitch, round 2. In French and Spanish, it's "ah-che". Haitch has the pedigree Theres an ironic wrinkle to this story. We pronounce it as haitch|Glad I could help. I have always used it (alternating with aitch) and I knew lots of people around me who did, too. In the Australian vernacular this pronunciation has been a bone of contention for a long time. Inspired by Post #9 of this thread and several replies following that post, I'm curious to find out how the letter "H" is pronounced or taught to be pronounced in Dr. Seuss implicitly understood this. Get yer hand off it, mate, Australian slang is not dying. That H isn't so big. At this time it was pronounced "ache" or "aitch". Theres no real evidence for this, mind, as Sue Butler points out, but never let facts get in the way of a good shibboleth. Whatever your visceral reaction to pronouncing H one way or the other, haitch has definite benefits for letter sound learning. Haitch vs. aitch, round 2. Whatever your visceral reaction to pronouncing H one way or the other, haitch has definite benefits for letter sound learning. I live in Queensland, AUS (Brisbane). In 1873, Thomas Laurence Kington-Oliphant wrote about this revolting habit in his chapter Good and Bad English, advising: Few things will the English youth find in after-life more pro-fitable than the right use of the aforesaid letter. Again history plays its part. This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. And so, the English youth restored H to words like hat, and even at the start of many French words like humble, which had entered English H-less (the Romans pronounced their Hs, but the French dropped theirs). They hate it with a passion. Linguistic pinpricks are established early on in the acquisition process (Dont say haitch!) Here in the UK, people know how to pronounce the letter of the alphabet that follows G and precedes I. It's also pronounced similarly non-aspirated in other Latin-derived languages. The library says youngsters are now more likely to say "haitch" Change), You are commenting using your Twitter account. This article was originally published on The Conversation. GIVE me aitch or give me death still spelled with an aitch. Im not aware of the usage in other Australian states. English speakers find it easiest to attend to and manipulate the beginning sounds of words. For most English speakers, the name for the letter is pronounced as /et/ and spelled "aitch" or occasionally "eitch". Change). According to Rosen, "aitch" was the Protestant way while "haitch" was Catholic, and "getting it wrong could be a dangerous business". But what makes it so contentious in Australia specifically? But it does the tiny H on (h)aitch divides the nation. That H isnt so big. Although the spirit of our times is generous, forgiving and tolerant, the choice between aitch and haitch can cause a good deal of anxiety and even hostility. So its not surprising its taking off in some parts of the English-speaking world. Logically, W should make the d sound (or change its name to wubble-u). Like Dr. Seuss' Star-Belly Sneetches and Plain-Belly Sneetches, there are two types of creatures haitchers with H on their 8th letter name and aitchers with "none upon thars". Do you say aitch or haitch? Macmillian Australia Pty Ltd: Sydney. Look, I love Australia, but few things are as irksome as hearing people say h aitch. The Aitch Factor. The Aitch Factor. Aitch P Sauce, I think, may be expected to seep more gently and co-operatively out of the bottle than the possibly balky and truculent Haitch P Sauce. You might think such a thing wouldnt matter at all. According to Rosen, "aitch" was the Protestant way while "haitch" was Catholic, and "getting it wrong could be a dangerous business". | it is meant to be a itch but there are so many people who use the other one that you could be forgiven for thinking that it is the latter. The pronunciation haitch is often considered to be non-standard. I thought it was clear cut and that people who said haitch had been poorly educated. Post was not sent - check your email addresses! Like Dr. Seuss Star-Belly Sneetches and Plain-Belly Sneetches, there are two types of creatures haitchers with H on their 8th letter name and aitchers with none upon thars. Nowadays, sadly, most Australians pronounce the eighth letter of the alphabet as (gasps) haitch. The term "haitch" is more educated. Tongue twisters highlight the special quality of alliteration for learning as well; who can forget Peter Piper and his pickled peppers, Silly Sally and her sheep, or Betty Botter and her butter? However, haitch is becoming increasingly popular among the younger generation, irrespective of their social background. It was once usual for speakers to drop aspirates at the beginning of words in fact up until the 1700s, it was fashionable to do so. However, haitch is becoming increasingly popular among the younger generation, irrespective of their social background. We suggest that a follow-up primer for young readers will one day include Horton hearing a Haitch. Logically, W should make the d sound (or change its name to wubble-u). A good number of Australians hate it when people refer to the letter "h" as haitch. My observation (purely anecdotal) is that in Australia, it is people who have had a catholic education that use the word haitch - that is how they were taught. . To understand why, we need to appreciate the primacy of initial letter sounds in words. In most dialects of English, the name for the letter is pronounced and spelt aitch or occasionally eitch. Those with social clout set the standards for whats in and whats out no H has the stamp of approval. The letter sounds that are easiest to remember are those that begin with their corresponding letter, such as B, D, J, K, P, or T. Read more: The name aitch might be a sign of high education in some circles, but is itself an example of H-dropping. Felicity Burke/The Conversastion with apologies to Dr. Suess, War of words: why journalists need to understand grammar to write accurately about violence, Its more natural for us to focus on initial sounds, We often make use of alliteration in names and tongue twisters, these letter names can facilitate children, Get yer hand off it, mate, Australian slang is not dying, How fairy tales have stood the test oftime. Most people seem to pronounce it aitch. This admission will make me seem a boring pedant, unable and unwilling to see the tide has turned and the numbers are against me.
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