The rule isn’t just for silent letters but for aspirations as well. However 20-century American English….. (Well first time I read a book with had people discussing whether something was “an hallucination” an I found it totally weird and wrong.)
I’m pretty sure I’ve never heard someone say “an” before an initial “H” unless they were quoting a book…. Some people render it by dropping the “H”: “An ‘istorical figure.” Which has the opposite effect to what they were intending, as in fiction H-dropping is reserved for Stereotypical English Working Class Dialogue.
I can tell you where I got myself in the habit of using “an” when the “h” is silent (or almost silent). Back sometime in the late sixties (it must have been), my family had gotten hold of a souvenir book titled “The White House: An Historic Guide.” Somehow the notion of “an” where “h” was silent fascinated me…later, I did locate the more-in-the-breech-than-the-observance rule of it. So it’s stuck with me ever since.
The pattern I’ve encountered most frequently is using “an” before an un-aspirated “h” and using “a” before an aspirated “h”. American-accented people (at least when they’re speaking casually) will call thyme “an ‘erb” but they’ll call Caesar’s assassination “a historical event”, whereas British-accented people will call thyme “a herb” but they’ll call Caesar’s assassination “an ‘istorical event”.
But I assume actual linguists have studied this sort of thing and can produce better data than some American who’s just watched a lot of shows with Geoffrey Palmer in them. (Maybe we can ask ANTONIO SMITH?)
Moreover, there is almost no chance that the cats will appreciate Sweetheart showing up to help. She can get back to doing whatever it is she was trying to do.
Haven’t seen it outside czech wikipedia where it’s… well two songs of Nirvana on the verge of punk-hardcore that may get named noisecore bc it’s what The Melvins are often named (obvisouly Melvins have done this sound before Nirvana, as they’ve done thousand of things) for it’s a bit soft to be crustpunk, far too soft to be grindcore or powerviolence, or whatev.
I’m seriously impressed that she managed to train cats to operate airhorns — or that she managed to train cats at *all*. Is this an unheralded secret talent, or did she cheat and just inject a bit of her own nano?
Three bagged cats, three bagged cats.
Stuffed in a burlap sack by Unity,
Making lots of yowls like a mad banshee,
Howling all around just to get them free,
Three bagged cats.
Three air horns, three air horns.
Added to the mix as a big mistake,
Giving Unity a good earache.
And three bagged cats made three sound quakes with
Three air horns.
Up pops the first bagged cat,
He said, “I smell a rat,
Dude, let us scratch what we see!”
“I want to whittle quick!”
“Put them in hospital quick!”
“Hey, dude, let’s scratch Unity!”
Three air horns, three air horns,
Taking on comers, no boxing glove,
Ruined Sweetheart’s moment far up above,
And three air horns made three ghouls of these
Three bagged cats, three bagged cats, three bagged cats.
Three…bagged…cats…
—from “Three Cool Cats,” written by Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller, sung by the Coasters (or maybe you’ve heard a version by The Beatles.)
It all made perfect sense at the time! She put the third cat in to cast the tie-breaking vote. She put the second cat in to purrsuade the first cat to stop honking the airhorns. She put the first cat in to get the airhorns out for her. She put the airhorns in for storage, but then couldn’t reach to fish them out. But the cats are upset because they understood her to be saying there were actually fish in there, so the vote went two *fsst* to one *reeower*, and so the *fsst* voters continue honking their airhorns, despite the dissenting cat’s continued insistence on *reeower*.
And the cats quite like grungecore, so they’ll probably stop honking their horns to listen.
Well, when you have nothing to work with, it’s a lot harder to work with it. The good thing about starting with Nirvana is that you can only improve it.
I’d say that’s a common misconception about Nirvana, the mix of their dirty sound, minimal riffing, and fine detuning, while characteristic of many band pre-grunge area, was rather carefully and aesthetically made. Wasn’t a fan when they were at their top popularity, being raised in classical music oriented music and being then into hip hop and funk, but decades of playing different musics made me appreciate the difficult result…
An hysterical moment?
Now you’re just arguing some antics.
(and thank you for using “an” – Sweetheart should know better)
Sweetheart is correct actually. The h isnt silent at the start of either historical or hysterical
The rule isn’t just for silent letters but for aspirations as well. However 20-century American English….. (Well first time I read a book with had people discussing whether something was “an hallucination” an I found it totally weird and wrong.)
It kinda depends (at least to me) on whether the “a” is pronounced ‘uh’ or ‘ay’. Changes the sound of the following word
It still strikes me as overly affected.
I’m pretty sure I’ve never heard someone say “an” before an initial “H” unless they were quoting a book…. Some people render it by dropping the “H”: “An ‘istorical figure.” Which has the opposite effect to what they were intending, as in fiction H-dropping is reserved for Stereotypical English Working Class Dialogue.
I can tell you where I got myself in the habit of using “an” when the “h” is silent (or almost silent). Back sometime in the late sixties (it must have been), my family had gotten hold of a souvenir book titled “The White House: An Historic Guide.” Somehow the notion of “an” where “h” was silent fascinated me…later, I did locate the more-in-the-breech-than-the-observance rule of it. So it’s stuck with me ever since.
The pattern I’ve encountered most frequently is using “an” before an un-aspirated “h” and using “a” before an aspirated “h”. American-accented people (at least when they’re speaking casually) will call thyme “an ‘erb” but they’ll call Caesar’s assassination “a historical event”, whereas British-accented people will call thyme “a herb” but they’ll call Caesar’s assassination “an ‘istorical event”.
But I assume actual linguists have studied this sort of thing and can produce better data than some American who’s just watched a lot of shows with Geoffrey Palmer in them. (Maybe we can ask ANTONIO SMITH?)
Say…Sweetheart’s Canadian. Does this show up with a Canadian accent, eh?
As a Canadian, it shows up with my accent about as often as it does in America: not very.
(Disclaimer: I am from Western Canada, like Sweetheart, and cannot speak for Eastern Canada.)
Reeowt, fsst, BWA-BWA-BWA-BWUUUUUH!
Why ask why?
For the sake of Wisdom!
“I’ll calm them with grungecore”
Open toward enemy
That . . . might work, actually. At least they’d shred a lot of the Biomass, I’m not sure about surviving A-Sig members.
The thrown cat theory of offensive warfare taken to its literal extreme.
Remember, it doesn’t matter if the cat is pissed of at you, because it’s gonna take it out on whoever it lands on.
Napoleon and the killer bunnies?
“I’ll calm them with grungecore”
Sentences you never thought you’d hear uttered.
Four is too many but two would not be enough, obviously. And the airhorns are because airhorns.
There is absolutely no way this could possibly go wrong.
Moreover, there is almost no chance that the cats will appreciate Sweetheart showing up to help. She can get back to doing whatever it is she was trying to do.
^___^ I’ll bet the White House has had LOTS of moments like this.
TIL that grungecore is a thing.
Haven’t seen it outside czech wikipedia where it’s… well two songs of Nirvana on the verge of punk-hardcore that may get named noisecore bc it’s what The Melvins are often named (obvisouly Melvins have done this sound before Nirvana, as they’ve done thousand of things) for it’s a bit soft to be crustpunk, far too soft to be grindcore or powerviolence, or whatev.
I’ve had plans like that
I’m seriously impressed that she managed to train cats to operate airhorns — or that she managed to train cats at *all*. Is this an unheralded secret talent, or did she cheat and just inject a bit of her own nano?
The fact that the airhorns are making noise is not a valid indicator that the cats actually know how to use them.
Given tomorrow… called it! Though she barfed it. Of *course* that’s more Unity than some namby-pamby thing like injection.
Three bagged cats, three bagged cats.
Stuffed in a burlap sack by Unity,
Making lots of yowls like a mad banshee,
Howling all around just to get them free,
Three bagged cats.
Three air horns, three air horns.
Added to the mix as a big mistake,
Giving Unity a good earache.
And three bagged cats made three sound quakes with
Three air horns.
Up pops the first bagged cat,
He said, “I smell a rat,
Dude, let us scratch what we see!”
“I want to whittle quick!”
“Put them in hospital quick!”
“Hey, dude, let’s scratch Unity!”
Three air horns, three air horns,
Taking on comers, no boxing glove,
Ruined Sweetheart’s moment far up above,
And three air horns made three ghouls of these
Three bagged cats, three bagged cats, three bagged cats.
Three…bagged…cats…
—from “Three Cool Cats,” written by Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller, sung by the Coasters (or maybe you’ve heard a version by The Beatles.)
Actually, I’m familiar with the Ry Cooder version. But it’s a neat song nevertheless.
Three cats honking airhorns
Rolling round inside a sack
Trapped by one helpful zombie
Who now wants to put them back.
Three cats honking airhorns
On the eve of total war.
They’re a bit of a handful
Still, at least it isn’t four.
What do cats need airhorns for?
What do cats need airhorns for?
Three cats honking airhorns
Saved from mutagenic glop
Horn in on Sweetheart’s moment
Belting out atonal bop.
Make it stop!
Make it stop!
Make it stop!
(“Three Coins in the Fountain”, Frank SInatra.)
The tension is thick in the air. But Unity’s taken no care. Cats bagged up and howling and air horns are yowling—so why did she put the cats there?
When you run out of brains halfway through your cunning plan and don’t realize it
It all made perfect sense at the time! She put the third cat in to cast the tie-breaking vote. She put the second cat in to purrsuade the first cat to stop honking the airhorns. She put the first cat in to get the airhorns out for her. She put the airhorns in for storage, but then couldn’t reach to fish them out. But the cats are upset because they understood her to be saying there were actually fish in there, so the vote went two *fsst* to one *reeower*, and so the *fsst* voters continue honking their airhorns, despite the dissenting cat’s continued insistence on *reeower*.
And the cats quite like grungecore, so they’ll probably stop honking their horns to listen.
Impressive deductive skills, John. And it does make perfect sense!
Cat’s stray, un’ty’ strays, all stray
Anasigma’ll attack, aha
We don’t know anything, aha
Cats all want t’blow some air, aha
Hsss (airhorn sound)
Hsss (airhorn sound)
Hsss (airhorn sound)
Hsss (airhorn sound)
Hsss (vuvuzela sound)
Out of town, in the bag, un deux trois
Cats there fight, not too gay, wah wah
Historic moment ruined, wah wah
Enemy’s at the door of my Troie
Hsss (meow sound)
Hsss (airhorn sound)
Hsss (airhorn sound)
Cat darts
War start
War start
War start
War start
War start
War start
(“Tourette’s”, “grungecore Nirvana)
Ok, this in fact harder than with longer texts
Well, when you have nothing to work with, it’s a lot harder to work with it. The good thing about starting with Nirvana is that you can only improve it.
I’d say that’s a common misconception about Nirvana, the mix of their dirty sound, minimal riffing, and fine detuning, while characteristic of many band pre-grunge area, was rather carefully and aesthetically made. Wasn’t a fan when they were at their top popularity, being raised in classical music oriented music and being then into hip hop and funk, but decades of playing different musics made me appreciate the difficult result…