Haitch or Aitch ?

[J.R.]

Has anyone else noticed how many people on television, when spelling a word and getting to the letter 'H', pronounce it HAITCH, rather than AITCH ??

Maybe its just me getting well into my 'grumpy-old-man' years, but I find it so common and annoying !!!

[englishangel]

aaaaaaaaaaaaaaarrrrrrrrrrrrrgggggggggggghhhhhhhhhhhhhhh.

My least favourite Estuary English.

Living in an HP postcode and most of the people looking for property live in it too I hear this so many times a day.

I am sorely tempted to deny anyone who says Haitch a viewing.

My children are the same. One of James's friends said it and when he corrected him he said that a letter should be spoken as the the sound.

James said 'that would explain wubble u then'.

[Mid A 15]

It is ironic that people who habitually drop their aitches at every opportunity feel the need to insert one when there is no need!

It is exceedingly annoying to paraphrase Mr Kipling and his cakes.

[englishangel]

Has anyone else noticed how many people on television, when spelling a word and getting to the letter 'H', pronounce it HAITCH, rather than AITCH ??

Maybe its just me getting well into my 'grumpy-old-man' years, but I find it so common and annoying !!!

Haitch M S Victory is the one that sends us bonkers.

[cj]

aaaaaaaaaaaaaaarrrrrrrrrrrrrgggggggggggghhhhhhhhhhhhhhh.

Hear, hear, EA. (Or 'ear, 'ear, if you are estuarine.) This is one of my real pet hates. The final straw came when daughter number 1 came home from school with a message from her teachers about the Home School Association (PTA type thing). When I corrected her after she said "Haitch Ess Ay", she told me that's how the staff had pronounced it. I tried to explain that the sound was 'h' but the name of the letter was 'aitch', and that in this case she'd be better off listening to me and not her teachers. I was rather disappointed that the teachers couldn't get it right. If they can't, what hope do the children have?

Have just googled and found this http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/H to learn that Northern Irish Catholics teach 'haitch' as distinct from the Protestant 'aitch'.

[jtaylor]

Anyone for:-

Undoubtably
Secertary
nucular
I would of...
YOright? (as a greeting)
Sicth
Islands said as irelands
pacific for specific

And all this usually from BBC journalists and politicians - the English langwage is on it's death bed.....

[Mrs C.]

.. and jewlery burgalry

[midget]

And that terrible newsreader on Radio 4 who spoke of the gOlf war, and will soon be telling us about the exam resOlts.
There seems to be alot more of Haitch about than there used to be.

[icomefromalanddownunder]

A few that make me squirm:

Antartica

Pedophile when they are talking about people who do unspeakable things to children, rather than people who have a penchant for feet.

Labratory

I also have a problem with newsreaders using emotive language, rather than reporting in an objective manner - 'X was bashed (rather than beaten) by Y', 'A mob (rather than crowd) protested ............' Even the ABC newsreaders have started reporting this way. I can't watch the news on the commercial channels - dreadful, just dreadful.

[Angela Woodford]

Living in Kent for 23 years, I'm ashamed to say that many of these mispronunciations just go past me now!

But when I see them written down, the shade of Miss Morrison enters into me, and I am not above amending the more hideous errors of spelling and punctuation on blackboards, noticeboards and sales signs; even pointing them out to the suspected perpetrators, innit?

Surprisingly enough, I have never been in trouble with the inhabitants of Kent over this. The Psychic Consultant of the Ashford Crystal Shoppe was only too pleased to edit her Psychic Appointments Board with me!

I sound such a cross old thing!

(Correct and write out "Re-Berthing" three times, please. Or even more times - make the appointment and find out!)

Munch

[Richard Ruck]

There's nothing new in the world.

The Roman poet Catullus wrote a piece lampooning a bloke named Arrius, who was fond of hinserting the letter h where it did not belong.

This may stir a few memories among those who ever studied Latin to a reasonable level.

Catullus - Carmen LXXXIV - ad Arrium

Chommoda dicebat, si quando commoda vellet
dicere, et insidias Arrius hinsidias,
et tumn mirifice sperabat se esse locutum,
cum quantum poterat dixerat hinsidias.
credo, sic mater, sic liber avunculus eius,
sic maternus avus dixerat atque avia.
hoc misso in Syriam requierant omnibus aures:
audibant eadem haec leniter et leviter,
nec sibi postilla metuebant talia verba,
cum subito affertur nuntius horribilis,
lonios fluctus, postquam illuc Arrius isset,
iam non lonios esse sed Hionios..


and in English:

He said hadvantages whenever he wished to say advantages
And for ambushes Arrius said hambushes,
And then he hoped that he had spoken wonderfully
Whenever, with as much emphasis as possible, he said hambushes.
I believe thus his mother, thus his freedman uncle,
Thus his maternal grandfather and grandmother spoke.
When this man was sent to Syria, everyone's ears found relief:
They were hearing the same things more softly and more lightly,
Nor afterwards were they themselves fearing such words,
When suddenly the horrible news arrived that
The Ionian waves, afterwards Arrius had gone there,
Now were no longer Ionian but Hionian.

[icomefromalanddownunder]

I sound such a cross old thing!

Munch

I commented to a colleague that I am like Shirley MacLean's character in Steel Magnolias - not mad, just in a very bad mood for 40 years. I'm starting to enjoy being grumpy. Where to from here, I wonder.

I used to pass a saddlery that advertised jodphurs and hannoverian bridles in their window. Every Mon-Fri morning at approximately 8.09 I would look out of the bus window and seethe with frustration. Then came the day when they were having a sale, and I drove to work, stopping at the saddlery to buy a rug or someother essential for our pampered equines. Could, of course, not help myself, so pointed out their errors. Did they care? Not a bit - just looked at me as though I were quite mad and blamed their sign writer.

Made several corrections to the blackboard menu at our local recently. My daughter prefers that she doesn't join me for a meal unless the menu is securely fixed high up on the wall - the ones that they bring to the table are just too, too tempting.

Which brings me to kalamari and cuppacinno.

[cj]

(Correct and write out "Re-Berthing" three times, please. Munch

As Queen Victoria might have said, "We are not a boat".

[sejintenej]

(Correct and write out "Re-Berthing" three times, please. Munch

As Queen Victoria might have said, "We are not a boat".

I thought it was some sort of training exercise preparation for midwives when they got it wrong first time

[midget]

Living in Kent for 23 years, I'm ashamed to say that many of these mispronunciations just go past me now!

But when I see them written down, the shade of Miss Morrison enters into me, and I am not above amending the more hideous errors of spelling and punctuation on blackboards, noticeboards and sales signs; even pointing them out to the suspected perpetrators, innit?

Surprisingly enough, I have never been in trouble with the inhabitants of Kent over this. The Psychic Consultant of the Ashford Crystal Shoppe was only too pleased to edit her Psychic Appointments Board with me!

I sound such a cross old thing!

(Correct and write out "Re-Berthing" three times, please. Or even more times - make the appointment and find out!)

Munch

I have been known to use a wet fingertip on "cauliflower's" and what about
"flouresent tube's"?

Maggie