[samIamsad]

Oh, those Frenchies.....

[RLacey]

The "h" in "hour" is never pronounced.

Normally, you use "an" if the sound following is a vowel (so when you have a silent "h"). It gets a bit more confusing with words like "historian" and "hotel", where the "h" is pronounced but use of the word "an" is still acceptable (and, in the opinion of persons such as myself, more correct).

[samIamsad]

Originally Posted by RLacey

The "h" in "hour" is never pronounced.

I've never felt so much relief before! Except that one time when....

Uh. Don't wanna go there.

[Maquisard]

I'll be there in a hower.

[fov]

Originally Posted by RLacey

Normally, you use "an" if the sound following is a vowel (so when you have a silent "h"). It gets a bit more confusing with words like "historian" and "hotel", where the "h" is pronounced but use of the word "an" is still acceptable (and, in the opinion of persons such as myself, more correct).

Silly Brit.

(Isn't the H left off the beginnings of more words in British English than in American English, anyway? Or only in certain dialects?)

Then there's "the" (rhymes with "uh") and "the" (rhymes with see). If the word after "the" starts with a consonant you pronounce it the first way, and if it starts with a vowel you pronounce it the second way. As in, I got into the (rhymes with uh) car, and then I ate the (rhymes with see) apple.

Do they teach you that in school when you're learning English? Just curious, because it's one of those things you just do intuitively as a native speaker... (At least I do... maybe it's not the same in all parts of the country. )

[Ninth]

Originally Posted by fov

Do they teach you that in school when you're learning English? Just curious, because it's one of those things you just do intuitively as a native speaker... (At least I do... maybe it's not the same in all parts of the country. )

Yep. Plus that's a mechanism that comes fast after hearing some english anyway, in my experience.

[AFGNCAAP]

Originally Posted by fov

Do they teach you that in school when you're learning English?

Oh yes. Doesn't matter, though, as I forget to use any article all too often. (we have no equivalents of a's, the's, le's or das's in Polish). But if I don't, I'll usually use the right one.

[fov]

Originally Posted by AFGNCAAP

Oh yes. Doesn't matter, though, as I forget to use any article all too often. (we have no equivalents of a's, the's, le's or das's in Polish).

You don't?!

I was going to ask how you know if someone's talking about one of something or more than one of something, but I guess the plural would give it away. Come to think of it, articles aren't really necessary.

[Wormsie]

Originally Posted by fov

Do they teach you that in school when you're learning English? Just curious, because it's one of those things you just do intuitively as a native speaker... (At least I do... maybe it's not the same in all parts of the country. )

Yep, they do. Not in first class, though, and I hadn't heard that an is used in a few cases where the word doesn't begin with a vowel when pronounced. I know of the rule, but I don't think I use the different thes correctly, the teachers weren't that strict with our pronounciation, sadly. I just follow my gut instinct, which might be wrong in this case...

Finnish doesn't have any articles either. Or in fact, it can be argued that spoken everyday language does kinda partially have them, but in correct written form you wouldn't use that. Spoken Finnish differs from written Finnish, more so than English, I'd think.

[RLacey]

Originally Posted by fov

(Isn't the H left off the beginnings of more words in British English than in American English, anyway? Or only in certain dialects?)

Not that I know of. The people who do so are simply unable to talk or spell .

Mind you, we like to use "-ise" instead "-ize" and a whole load of other little things that you Americans get wrong. Like how to spell and pronounce "Aluminium" and "Sulphur" .

[Fairygdmther]

Originally Posted by RLacey

Not that I know of. The people who do so are simply unable to talk or spell .

Mind you, we like to use "-ise" instead "-ize" and a whole load of other little things that you Americans get wrong. Like how to spell and pronounce "Aluminium" and "Sulphur" .

We don't spell it that way either - we spell it as aluminum

aluminum (əlū'mĭnəm) , called in British countries aluminium (ăl'yūmĭn'ēəm)

Sulphur is one of those words that's changed during my lifetime:
sulphur ---> sulfur ---> sulfa

Yogurt used to be yoghurt

And we Americans don't get those things wrong - just different. We haven't spoken/written the Queen's English for over 200 years. As long as we still understand each other, the rest is mere piffle!

Lynsie

[fov]

I remember seeing a film strip in high school chemistry where this bald guy kept talking about "aluminium". Everybody in the class was cracking up. It's probably the first time I heard someone pronounce it like that, and I swear it was the funniest thing ever.

Okay, maybe not ever. But in a long time.

[Sage]

Originally Posted by RLacey

Not that I know of. The people who do so are simply unable to talk or spell .

Mind you, we like to use "-ise" instead "-ize" and a whole load of other little things that you Americans get wrong. Like how to spell and pronounce "Aluminium" and "Sulphur" .

Something tells me that if you and I were to meet in person and have a conversation, my heavily-accented American English would have you shrieking for me to stop talking in short order.