#1  
Old 02-Jun-2007, 13:29
Junior Member
 
Join Date: Oct 2006
Posts: 58
Member Type: Student or Learner
Default a + vowel sound

why is it sometimes we use the indefinite article 'a' even though it precedes a vowel sound? and when do we do so?
thank you
  #2  
Old 02-Jun-2007, 16:10
Mister Micawber's Avatar
Key Member
 
Join Date: Sep 2004
Posts: 1,851
Home Country: United States
Native Language: English
Current Location: Japan
Member Type: English Teacher
Default Re: a + vowel sound

.
To my knowledge, we always use 'an', and never 'a', before a vowel sound. Confusion arises for learners when the vowel sound is represented by an alphabetic consonant.
.
  #3  
Old 03-Jun-2007, 02:25
Junior Member
Threadstarter  
 
Join Date: Oct 2006
Posts: 58
Member Type: Student or Learner
Default Re: a + vowel sound

these are some examples
Juan Dahlmann is a Argentinian library secretary.
.... Consolidate Debts with a unemployed refinance loans
I know a web-site where there is a undressed model picture.
What is a easy and good glue to use to on Lego blocks ...
What is a easy job that pays great?
even in english books and newspapers i've come across many but unfotunately i don't remember any :)

Last edited by rezaa; 03-Jun-2007 at 02:30.
  #4  
Old 03-Jun-2007, 05:47
Member
 
Join Date: Mar 2007
Posts: 434
Home Country: Canada
Native Language: English
Current Location: Canada
Member Type: Retired English Teacher
Default Re: a + vowel sound

Juan Dahlmann is aW anU Argentinian library secretary.
.... Consolidate Debts with a W an Uunemployed refinance loans
I know a web-site where there is aW an U undressed model picture.
What is a W an Ueasy and good glue to use to on Lego blocks ...
What is aW anU easy job that pays great?

even in english books and newspapers i've come across many but unfotunately i don't remember any :) ??!!

Examples:

A hotel as the ‘h’ is silent.
A university as ‘u’ is considered a glide represented by /ju/ (IPA phonetic symbol) where it begins with a consonant sound.
  #5  
Old 03-Jun-2007, 06:02
Harry Smith's Avatar
Key Member
 
Join Date: Aug 2006
Posts: 2,846
Home Country: Armenia
Native Language: Armenian
Current Location: Russian Federation
Member Type: English Teacher
Default Re: a + vowel sound

In the word "hotel" h isn't silent. H is silent in the words: honest and hour.
  #6  
Old 03-Jun-2007, 09:33
Mister Micawber's Avatar
Key Member
 
Join Date: Sep 2004
Posts: 1,851
Home Country: United States
Native Language: English
Current Location: Japan
Member Type: English Teacher
Default Re: a + vowel sound

Quote:
Juan Dahlmann is a Argentinian library secretary.
.... Consolidate Debts with a unemployed refinance loans
I know a web-site where there is a undressed model picture.
What is a easy and good glue to use to on Lego blocks ...
What is a easy job that pays great?
These are all illiterate examples, rezaa-- I presume that you pulled them off Google?-- Google examples cannot be trusted indiscriminately.

And, no, the 'h' of 'hotel' is not silent-- but it begins an unstressed initial syllable, and many competent native speakers opt to preface such words with 'an', which is also acceptable:

a/an hotel reservation
a/an Havana cigar
a/an Hawaiian vacation
a/an hallucinatory experience


And then there are some trans-Atlantic dichotomies:

a/an humble pie
a/an herb salad
a/an homage to Santa Roselia.

.
  #7  
Old 03-Jun-2007, 17:35
Member
 
Join Date: Mar 2007
Posts: 434
Home Country: Canada
Native Language: English
Current Location: Canada
Member Type: Retired English Teacher
Default Re: a + vowel sound

My apology. Indeed the ‘h’ in ‘hotel’ is not silent. I meant to say since it’s not silent, in today’s usage, the article ‘a’ is appropriate.

An old grammar rule states if a word begins with an ‘h’ and not accented on the 1st syllable, ‘an’ is often used; as,

An hotel, an historical novel.

This is as Mr. Micawbar suggested.
  #8  
Old 03-Jun-2007, 17:55
RonBee's Avatar
Moderator
 
Join Date: Feb 2003
Posts: 16,539
Home Country: United States
Native Language: American English
Current Location: United States
Member Type: Other
Default Re: a + vowel sound

I'm not from the South, so I don't say a hour, but that usage is common here (North Carolina). If you happen someday to travel in these parts don't decide you learned your English lessons wrongly. It's a regionalism. (We also say y'all here, and that's not exactly standard English. )

~R
Closed Thread

Bookmarks


Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Trackbacks are Off
Pingbacks are Off
Refbacks are Off


Similar Threads
Thread Thread Starter Forum Replies Last Post
"t" sound bewteen sound of "n" and "s/sh". j4mes_bond25 Pronunciation and Phonetics 10 01-Jun-2006 10:38
o AND O: sound ??? j4mes_bond25 Pronunciation and Phonetics 4 28-Apr-2006 14:16
Copying a sound track!!! amera Ask a Teacher 3 16-Feb-2006 17:39
stress on vowel sound Anonymous Ask a Teacher 2 17-Jun-2003 14:15


All times are GMT. The time now is 22:18.



Content Relevant URLs by vBSEO ©2011, Crawlability, Inc.