correct grammar

[Unregistered]

Is "a hotel" or "an hotel" correct Enlish?

 

[Stilo]

H is a constonant so it is a hotel (English).

 

[naomimalan]

Is "a hotel" or "an hotel" correct Enlish?

Both are correct, but "a hotel" is used much more frequently. (If you get onto Google and type the two versions successively, you will find over two million examples for "a hotel" and "only" one and a quarter million for "an hotel".

You can find out more about it on the Ask Oxford site:
AskOxford: Which is correct: 'a hotel' or 'an hotel'?

 

[Anglika]

Lots of argument on this one.

Hotel derives from the French word, which has an unaspirated "h", so technically it is "an 'otel". There is an increasing use of an aspirated "h", so most people now use "a hotel". It is in fact more difficult to say clearly.

 

[susiedqq]

I vote for an "a" - only because the "ho" combination can be pronounced with ease using an "a".

 

[Anglika]

True enough - but it is still an awkward combination of sounds.

 

[susiedqq]

Yes, and why do we say:

a history test

an historical event

??

 

[Anglika]

I think is must be the difference in the combination of "ho" and "hi".

History is aspirated, but curiously historical can lose the aspiration, though here I find people generally do say "a historical event".

 

[riverkid]

Lots of argument on this one.

Hotel derives from the French word, which has an unaspirated "h", so technically it is "an 'otel". There is an increasing use of an aspirated "h", so most people now use "a hotel". It is in fact more difficult to say clearly.

It doesn't matter how the French pronounce their words. When a word comes into English or any other language, it gets the pronunciation of the new language. Languages borrow words not sound systems.

 

[Anglika]

You may think that this is the case, but nevertheless word origins do affect pronunciations and ought not to be dismissed so cavalierly.:shock:

 

[stuartnz]

When a word comes into English or any other language, it gets the pronunciation of the new language.

Agreed. In fact, I'd say that this serves as a progress marker for the assimilation of a word. English often attempts to retain the original pronunciation initially, which flags the import as a foreign loanword. Once the assimilation is complete, though, the word's pronunciation is fully Anglicised.

 

[naomimalan]

It doesn't matter how the French pronounce their words. When a word comes into English or any other language, it gets the pronunciation of the new language. Languages borrow words not sound systems.

What about the "h" in the words honour, hour, heir, honest? They all came into the language via Old French at least 800 years ago (honour dates back to c1200, hour to c1250, heir to c1275, honest to c1300). :shock:

Source: Online Etymology Dictionary: Online Etymology Dictionary