The use of "an" in British English

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In spoken and written British English, why is the word "an" occasionally used before a noun that begins with a consonant, rather than being used solely with words that begin with vowels? You NEVER see or hear this in American English. Someone once explained to me that this use of "an" is a very haughty, upper-class affectation, but somehow I doubt that that is all there is to it. Are there rules that govern this usage?

Thanking you in advance, I remain.

― A Reader, Tuesday, 11 April 2006 02:22 (twenty years ago)

Is it pronunciation? If the first consonant would be silent with a certain accent, would the a/an rule go to the second letter?

― Big Willy and the Twins (miloaukerman), Tuesday, 11 April 2006 02:26 (twenty years ago)

I don't believe so, no.

One instance I've seen on ILE: "an scary clown." Humorous, maybe, but wtf?

― A Reader, Tuesday, 11 April 2006 02:29 (twenty years ago)

It's used before a vowel sound, rather than before a vowel, so it would be "an hour", and "a unicorn".

― Cressida Breem (neruokruokruokne?), Tuesday, 11 April 2006 02:30 (twenty years ago)

why do people say "an historic event"??

― timmy tannin (pompous), Tuesday, 11 April 2006 02:33 (twenty years ago)

Okay -- I vaguely recall Malcolm McLaren describing the connotations of "sex pistol" as "an young thing ... a better looking assassin," which again you would never see or hear in American English (and anyway the "y" of "young" is, like, a diphthong or something, right?) -- but still: in British English, why does "an" sometimes precede words that begin with consonants? Explain!

― A Reader, Tuesday, 11 April 2006 02:35 (twenty years ago)

x-post

maybe they make the 'h' in "historic" silent...

But that does not explain the other examples

― curmudgeon (Steve K), Tuesday, 11 April 2006 02:37 (twenty years ago)

"An" before "history" or "historical" is a relic of the days when Cockneys had a virtual stranglehold on donships in Britain's higher education system.

― Tracey Hand (tracerhand), Tuesday, 11 April 2006 02:44 (twenty years ago)

Well, that was helpful.

My question is about "an" preceding words that begin with consonants other than "h." Whether the "h" is aspirated or not, that might be a special case of sorts. Phrases like "an historical" and "an homage" do crop up occasionally in Americanese, though perhaps in more formal (/ pretentious / Anglophilic?) contexts -- if the recent Cronenberg flick had been called An History of Violence, it would've seemed weird.

No doubt most if not all British ilxzors are asleep right now. Ah well.

― A Reader, Tuesday, 11 April 2006 03:17 (twenty years ago)

Oh hang on. When yr seeing ussages like "an scary clown" or "an banana", thats just a bit ov an ILX/LJism the UKers use - its a deliberate thing, kinda like "teh".

I think maybe it came from Usenet or sommat?

― Trayce (trayce), Tuesday, 11 April 2006 04:49 (twenty years ago)

(Ussages? Gah. I can't spell todae)

― Trayce (trayce), Tuesday, 11 April 2006 04:50 (twenty years ago)

StarrySarah, RickyT etc to thread anyhoo.

― Trayce (trayce), Tuesday, 11 April 2006 04:54 (twenty years ago)

Maybe you're right, but I first noticed this phenomenon in the early 90s, and got the "haughty affectation" explanation then (not from a source with any authority, btw). That McLaren quote is supposedly from the 70s.

― A Reader, Tuesday, 11 April 2006 05:01 (twenty years ago)

As far as I understand it, the rule is that in formal English 'an' precedes all instances of a vowel, a vowel sound, or an h; but in informal English, people will normally use 'a' before an h.

― Forest Pines (ForestPines), Tuesday, 11 April 2006 05:22 (twenty years ago)

I assumed when used unneccesarily (eg "I am going to buy an PC tomorrow") it was just a silly net-meme thing, maybe mimicking someone off Are You Being Served, I'd be curious to know whence it came to be honest (the misuse I mean - not the "an hotel" thing, I realise that is legit, if old fashioned).

― Trayce (trayce), Tuesday, 11 April 2006 05:26 (twenty years ago)

the rule is that in formal English 'an' precedes all instances of a vowel, a vowel sound, or an h; but in informal English, people will normally use 'a' before an h.

Yes, that was how I understood it too. My original question remains, about the use of "an" in phrases like "an scary clown," "an formidable anti-hero," etc. Perhaps it did originate on the net, but for some reason I had the impression that it was archaic.

― A Reader, Tuesday, 11 April 2006 05:39 (twenty years ago)

i am going to eat an hotdog?!?! WTF?

― timmy tannin (pompous), Tuesday, 11 April 2006 05:53 (twenty years ago)

99.9999% of the time it's 'a' before a consonant sound and 'an' before a vowel sound. A minority of very posh people and Oxbridge professors say 'an' before certain words that begin with 'h' which originally came from French where the 'h' would be silent (e.g. an historic day, an hotel), but the vast majority of people say 'a' for these words. 'an banana' seems to be 'teh new get one banana', ie it does not exist in the real world.

― Teh HoBBler (the pirate king), Tuesday, 11 April 2006 06:50 (twenty years ago)

'An scary clown' is an example of British wit at its finest.

'An hotel', 'an historical', etc, are archaic, but one still encounters them de temps en temps.

― PJ Miller (PJ Miller 68), Tuesday, 11 April 2006 07:08 (twenty years ago)

I have only heard British people say "an scary clown" or "an formidable..." on my visits to Bizarro Britain.

― Colonel Poo (Colonel Poo), Tuesday, 11 April 2006 07:23 (twenty years ago)

If McLaren said "an young thing" he was being daft, or outrageously contrived. I rather hope it was the latter.

― Tim (Tim), Tuesday, 11 April 2006 07:32 (twenty years ago)

Gah! Isn't it obvious it is just a playful misuse, like ORLY? or teh or "get one life"?

― Trayce (trayce), Tuesday, 11 April 2006 07:39 (twenty years ago)

My Spanish friend would always put 'an' before scary clown. Then again, she pronounces scary as though it began with an 'e'. And for her 'an excuse' is 'a scuse' in spoken language.

I've never come across British people doing this. Like others upthread, I can only imagine it's people simply being silly.

― Daniel Giraffe (Daniel Giraffe), Tuesday, 11 April 2006 07:47 (twenty years ago)

Curious norange to thread.

― Jerry the Nipper (Jerrynipper), Tuesday, 11 April 2006 08:01 (twenty years ago)

I've never come across British people doing this. Like others upthread, I can only imagine it's people simply being silly.

British people being silly? Who'd've thunk it?

― Dadaismus (Dada), Tuesday, 11 April 2006 08:05 (twenty years ago)

maybe mimicking someone off Are You Being Served

It's true, all British humour can be traced back to the episode where Mrs Slocombe first refers to her pussy.

― Markelby (Mark C), Tuesday, 11 April 2006 08:20 (twenty years ago)

and the hilarious concept of John Inman being a whoopsy.

― Konal Doddz (blueski), Tuesday, 11 April 2006 08:25 (twenty years ago)

AN whoopsy.

― Konal Doddz (blueski), Tuesday, 11 April 2006 08:26 (twenty years ago)

That comes quite late on, Markelby. The first series is virtually catchphrase-free.

― PJ Miller (PJ Miller 68), Tuesday, 11 April 2006 08:26 (twenty years ago)

"You're all doing very well!"

― Dadaismus (Dada), Tuesday, 11 April 2006 08:28 (twenty years ago)

"I'm available!"

― Konal Doddz (blueski), Tuesday, 11 April 2006 08:35 (twenty years ago)

and the hilarious concept of John Inman being a whoopsy.

Is that what a whoopsy is? Now I know why Frank Spencer was so worried about the dog doing one on the floor.

― Onimo (GerryNemo), Tuesday, 11 April 2006 08:37 (twenty years ago)

It was the cat he was worried about

― Dadaismus (Dada), Tuesday, 11 April 2006 08:38 (twenty years ago)

Whoops(y)

― Onimo (GerryNemo), Tuesday, 11 April 2006 08:40 (twenty years ago)

And Frank was more worried about his headgear than the floor, as I remember.

― Tim (Tim), Tuesday, 11 April 2006 08:42 (twenty years ago)

My headgear's done an whoopsy on teh carpet.

― PJ Miller (PJ Miller 68), Tuesday, 11 April 2006 08:49 (twenty years ago)

I think there were cat/hat and a dog/carpet whoopsy incidents, but it's been a while and my memory has been tainted by a million impressionists.

― Onimo (GerryNemo), Tuesday, 11 April 2006 08:56 (twenty years ago)

all of them you!

― Konal Doddz (blueski), Tuesday, 11 April 2006 08:57 (twenty years ago)

I don't really know

― RJG (RJG), Tuesday, 11 April 2006 08:57 (twenty years ago)

haha

― Onimo (GerryNemo), Tuesday, 11 April 2006 08:58 (twenty years ago)

... ah so we're on to Les Dennis now are we?

― Dadaismus (Dada), Tuesday, 11 April 2006 08:59 (twenty years ago)

which ILXer actually wrote 'an scary clown' anyway?

― Konal Doddz (blueski), Tuesday, 11 April 2006 09:01 (twenty years ago)

My money is on Carslime.

― Jerry the Nipper (Jerrynipper), Tuesday, 11 April 2006 09:02 (twenty years ago)

Rip it up and start again

Mark S

― Onimo (GerryNemo), Tuesday, 11 April 2006 09:05 (twenty years ago)

hein?

i do not find clowns "scary" so, unlikely, i'd look to teh atommickbrane...

also "an" came from when words used to begin with N eg norange, nuncle, nindie ectect

― CarsmileSteve (CarsmileSteve), Tuesday, 11 April 2006 09:10 (twenty years ago)

Betcha "an scary clown" is a riff on "an hairy man" = Esau.

― OT(M), Tuesday, 11 April 2006 09:15 (twenty years ago)

I'm surprised ILX doesn't use "an Merkin" - it seems to pop up often elsewhere.

― Onimo (GerryNemo), Tuesday, 11 April 2006 09:16 (twenty years ago)

I suppose I think of "an"ism as a Carsmile thing because he does it in real life. Plus he is the king of nindie.

― Jerry the Nipper (Jerrynipper), Tuesday, 11 April 2006 09:17 (twenty years ago)

i did confuse teh pinefox greatly by using it as an construction in teh actual speaking out loud the other week...

― CarsmileSteve (CarsmileSteve), Tuesday, 11 April 2006 09:21 (twenty years ago)

The an before h is supposed to be only in words with an unstressed first syllable, so "an historic victory" but not "an hopeless cause". This is because Victorian pronunciation didn't voice the h if the first syllable was unstressed. But voicing the h plus saying an is awkward and silly.

― Cathy (Cathy), Tuesday, 11 April 2006 09:23 (twenty years ago)

Awkward + silly = designed for ILx

― Tim (Tim), Tuesday, 11 April 2006 09:31 (twenty years ago)

design OF ilx, more like...

― CarsmileSteve (CarsmileSteve), Tuesday, 11 April 2006 09:58 (twenty years ago)

The Graun can't be bothered with all that faff.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/styleguide/page/0,,184844,00.html

― Mädchen (Madchen), Tuesday, 11 April 2006 11:43 (twenty years ago)

i did confuse teh pinefox greatly by using it as an construction in teh actual speaking out loud the other week...

i was party to this

"he is eating an steak"
"eating what?"
"an steak"
"what do you mean?"
"AN STEAK"
"I've come a long way to be here tonight, is this the best you can do?"

― Konal Doddz (blueski), Tuesday, 11 April 2006 11:46 (twenty years ago)

It's nice of the Guardian to tell us how to avoid making errors.
xpost

― Onimo (GerryNemo), Tuesday, 11 April 2006 11:47 (twenty years ago)

Pot calling the kettle balck or waht?

― Dadaismus (Dada), Tuesday, 11 April 2006 11:49 (twenty years ago)

Actually, I'd like to know where the fake-an thing comes from too. I started doing it myself ages ago, before I was on the net, but the fact that other ILXors, particularly the Britishes, are doing it as well makes me think it must have come from something else.

― edward o (edwardo), Tuesday, 11 April 2006 11:50 (twenty years ago)

man i could spend all afternoon reading that style guide...

― CarsmileSteve (CarsmileSteve), Tuesday, 11 April 2006 11:57 (twenty years ago)

ive never heard this in the uk or anyway. it sounds awfulyl difficult to say. that after all, is the only reason theres a difference between a/an

― ambrose (ambrose), Tuesday, 11 April 2006 12:06 (twenty years ago)

haha, just earlier this week i was thinking about the exact opposite of this. why are some words that begin with vowels not "an" but "a"

e.g. This single was a one-hit-wonder vs This single was an one-hit-wonder

― ken c (ken c), Tuesday, 11 April 2006 13:21 (twenty years ago)

I heart that Guardian Style Guide so much. Though:

amid
not amidst

among
not amongst

does upset me :(

― Markelby (Mark C), Tuesday, 11 April 2006 13:34 (twenty years ago)

Ken, it's because the vowel beginning the word sounds like a consonant. It's also why we say 'an hour' and 'a hotel' -- you'd have to totally Frenchify your pron. to oh-tel to use 'an'. Quick remembrance guide: Hoes in the ho-tel.

― suzy (suzy), Tuesday, 11 April 2006 13:40 (twenty years ago)

xpost ken the 'o' of "one" is not a vowel sound, its more like a consonant (palatal fricative?). if the o here wasnt palatalised then it would sound more like "un" or "own"

― ambrose (ambrose), Tuesday, 11 April 2006 13:41 (twenty years ago)

you'd have to totally Frenchify your pron. to oh-tel to use 'an'

Or northernise it. I've always used 'an' for 'hotel'. But then I'd probably only use the word 'hotel' in a sentence like "Ah've never 'ad enuff brass to spend t'night in an hotel!"

― JimD (JimD), Tuesday, 11 April 2006 13:54 (twenty years ago)

Or Cocknify it

― Dadaismus (Dada), Tuesday, 11 April 2006 13:59 (twenty years ago)

Ambrose, the o of one is a bilabial, as it sounds like a /w/.

A similar case is the u in university. e.g X is a (not an) university professor.

That style guide is lots of fun, as it looks like it was written by a human being. I like their reasons for saying Burma and not Myanmar, for example, under the heading 'foreign place names'.

The one we use at work is this towering monster of a thing: http://europa.eu.int/comm/translation/writing/style_guides/english/style_guide_en.pdf

― Daniel Giraffe (Daniel Giraffe), Tuesday, 11 April 2006 14:14 (twenty years ago)

/w/hoops

― ambrose (ambrose), Tuesday, 11 April 2006 14:26 (twenty years ago)

I've been trying to describe why and how it is used on the LJ/ILX community, it's not just a random funny (though it is an in-joke of sorts), it becomes a dialect, where you'll go back to fix it if you got it "wrong". I think its use is similar to the 1x prefix, to indicate that the noun it's modifying (it'd never be used with one that's already adjectivised - "an scary clown" is a misuse) is being specifically used, is exactly as general as it needs to be and no more.

"I'm looking to interview a clown for work purposes"
"My friend Brianna is a mime, will that do?"
"No, it'll have to be an clown".

Maybe. It is defintely the same effect as spelling it right but semi-capitalised (A Clown), but I'm not entirely sure if I've captured what the emphasis is for.

Disclaimer: I may be a mentalist.

― Andrew Farrell (afarrell), Tuesday, 11 April 2006 16:43 (twenty years ago)

Oh, Wrinklepaws.

― Confounded (Confounded), Tuesday, 11 April 2006 18:22 (twenty years ago)

getting upset about a "style guide"

― RJG (RJG), Tuesday, 11 April 2006 18:30 (twenty years ago)

Basically, here's the rules:

1) The Brits pronounce and spell however the fuck they want to.

2) Any American variants spoken will be ridiculed because they "invented the fucking language, mate"

3) Disregard any further attempts at conversation.

― An American in London, Wednesday, 12 April 2006 00:53 (twenty years ago)

here are the rules

― Slumpman (Slump Man), Wednesday, 12 April 2006 01:05 (twenty years ago)

Wow its like I'm invisible.

― Trayce (trayce), Wednesday, 12 April 2006 01:14 (twenty years ago)

how handy

― electric sound of jim (and why not) (electricsound), Wednesday, 12 April 2006 04:16 (twenty years ago)

Heh.

― Trayce (trayce), Wednesday, 12 April 2006 04:57 (twenty years ago)

argh! in the office i am temping in today, their girl mag has a piece on how to spice up your lovelife, which on closer inspection turns out to be a puff-piece for a company called french letter days who will take ludicrously high payment from you and arrange for you to be kidnapped or for your boyfriend to dress up as batman, or something equally mundane. natalie, 32, from newcastle-upon-tyne, says: "I wanted to organise something really special. i decided to go for an picnic in the woods, where rick and i could be alone to enjoy each other." egads! not just a internet meme!

― emskintheevilempire, Wednesday, 12 April 2006 13:07 (twenty years ago)

I just googled that company. Holy fuck.

― Onimo (GerryNemo), Wednesday, 12 April 2006 13:10 (twenty years ago)

"i wanted to organise something really special....i went for a picnic"

?!?!?! wtf how much do you pay someone to organise a picnic#?!!?

like, get 1 tupperware dude, let the houmous do the rest

― ambrose (ambrose), Wednesday, 12 April 2006 13:12 (twenty years ago)

If the picnic sounds a bit mundane why not make an pr0n movie!

― Onimo (GerryNemo), Wednesday, 12 April 2006 13:13 (twenty years ago)

This next painting is called Déjeuner sur l'Herbe - Picnic In The Woods!

― In The Court Of The Redd King Harvest (Ken L), Wednesday, 12 April 2006 13:13 (twenty years ago)

JtN, if you're still following this: I called you to the skinny vs fat thread yesterday, you Small But Perfectly Formed Thing. But you were nowhere to be seen.

― Laurel (Laurel), Wednesday, 12 April 2006 13:15 (twenty years ago)

heh ambrose yeah, i thought that too. and fld's prices START at £500. ffs.

― emskdissolving, Wednesday, 12 April 2006 13:17 (twenty years ago)

This may be off topic (sort of), but do Canadians typically say "an" when they mean "and"? I'm confused by all the canucks in the For Better or Worse comic strip using "an" in this way. Is it just them? Most Canadians I've met don't seem that speech impaired.

― The Mercury Krueger (Ex Leon), Wednesday, 12 April 2006 13:30 (twenty years ago)

Laurel, if you're still following this: 2002 Whitney Biennial

― JimD (JimD), Wednesday, 12 April 2006 13:34 (twenty years ago)

Let all the battlements their ordnance fire:
The king shall drink to Hamlet's better breath;
And in the cup an union shall he throw,
Richer than that which four successive kings
In Denmark's crown have worn.

― elmo argonaut (allocryptic), Wednesday, 12 April 2006 13:41 (twenty years ago)

Perhaps "an union" was pronounced "a noonian" in Shakespeare's day. I like to think so, anyway.

― Alba (Alba), Wednesday, 12 April 2006 13:43 (twenty years ago)

Like "a norange" or "a napron"?

― In The Court Of The Redd King Harvest (Ken L), Wednesday, 12 April 2006 13:44 (twenty years ago)

"an uncle" vs. "a nuncle"

― elmo argonaut (allocryptic), Wednesday, 12 April 2006 13:47 (twenty years ago)

Perhaps "an union" was pronounced "a noonian" in Shakespeare's day. I like to think so, anyway.

http://www.startrek.com/imageuploads/200303/tng-114-dr--soong--creator-of/240x320.jpg

nonsense!

― Fight the Real Enemy -- Tasti D-Lite (ex machina), Wednesday, 12 April 2006 14:09 (twenty years ago)

"I agree!"

http://images.amazon.com/images/P/0671021273.01.LZZZZZZZ.jpg

― phil d. (Phil D.), Wednesday, 12 April 2006 14:15 (twenty years ago)

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