OK, listen up rest of the English speaking world!

[monta]

Well, it may or may not be a conscious thing. I think people hear it and think it sounds more educated. They may not think about it specifically when they go to say it, but there's no other reason to do it, really.

I don't think the words flow better, but even if they do, why even have the H to begin with then? Now, of course, this is aside from anyone who doesn't normally pronounce the H's due to an accent. If you normally say "istoric", than it makes sense to use "an".

I think in Ireland at least, it is just a softer aitch rather than dropped one, I don't think it is about education or a lack of it, it is just a convention. In the Irish language, we go a step further to preserve the fluidity of the sentence and we insert letters to prevent such unwelcome verbal hard turns like two vowels coming together (heaven forfend ) or even worse a broad vowel meeting a slender vowel, :faint: (just for the Irish people ''Caol :claple caol :clapagus leathan:clap le leathan '':clap)

 

[Falvlun]

I just read Plague Dogs, by Richard Adams. The tod (fox) in the novel spoke with a geordie accent. Now that was a lot of fun figuring out! Howay tha lads!

 

[Don Penguinoini]

Please yanks, no spelling lessons

Do not make me cry.

 

[Kilgore Trout]

Please yanks, no spelling lessons

Do not make me cry.

But it's okay for southerners to give spelling lessons?

 

[Nepenthe]

You know, the world has pretty much gone to hell in a handbasket ever since they stopped using the medial S.

 

[tumbleweed41]

I just read Plague Dogs, by Richard Adams. The tod (fox) in the novel spoke with a geordie accent. Now that was a lot of fun figuring out! Howay tha lads!

Great book! Have you read Watership Down yet?

 

[Kilgore Trout]

Great book! Have you read Watership Down yet?

I love that book. I first read it when I was like 12. 20 years later - still don't know what the heck a "stoat" is. I could look it up, but, hey, some things are better left a mystery.

 

[9-10ths_Penguin]

You know, the world has pretty much gone to hell in a handbasket ever since they stopped using the medial S.

We didn't stop using it; we just moved it to calculus class.

 

[9-10ths_Penguin]

I love that book. I first read it when I was like 12. 20 years later - still don't know what the heck a "stoat" is. I could look it up, but, hey, some things are better left a mystery.

Except then we wouldn't have Monty Python's "man with a stoat through his head".

 

[Don Penguinoini]

But it's okay for southerners to give spelling lessons?

Yes, it is. Southerners make cool words. Like doggonit...

(***...?)

 

[Willamena]

A handy tool for "the English Speaking World": Answers.com.

 

[Falvlun]

I love that book. I first read it when I was like 12. 20 years later - still don't know what the heck a "stoat" is. I could look it up, but, hey, some things are better left a mystery.

I love Watership down too... it's definitely in my top 5.

By and by, I believe a stoat is something like a weasel or ferret. At least that's what I got out of years of reading the Redwall series by Brian Jaques.

 

[Gunfingers]

And it's et-setera, not ex-cetera.

I've always seen it spelled "et-cetera".

Also, i prefer the UK spelling of "grey". In every other way, i only speak American!

 

[Falvlun]

I've always seen it spelled "et-cetera".

I always spell it "etc"

Also, i prefer the UK spelling of "grey". In every other way, i only speak American!

Me too! I don't know where I got it from, but "gray" looks wrong to me: "grey" is much more natural looking.

 

[Smoke]

I've always seen it spelled "et-cetera".

Actually, it's et cetera (two words). I usually write it etc. I really prefer &c., but people don't always know what that means.

Also, i prefer the UK spelling of "grey".

Me too. It looks more grey to me.