Pronouncing H's

[nothingbutsnow]

Or Aitches!

I love language and dialects, etc, and having grown up around a fairly quaint mixture of rp and regional-to-me accents I can't say that I ever really thought about it very much, nor noticed anyone stringently stress the H at the beginning of every word. Or else I didn't take a great deal of notice.

So take the words 'He was happy for hours and hours', do you stress the H here or not? Or just the first one?

It really alters the rhythm of your voice and sentences (obviously) but I find it fascinating. Equally I find it just as intriguing to attempt sentences in a very local dialect, too.
This made me think that how we pronounce our words has a great effect on our personal 'voice' and even how we use it.

Still, not many H stresses in my peer group, although quite a few older people I know do. To pronounce every 'h' in 'he was happy for hours and hours' slows the speech somewhat (makes it more considered perhaps) and I presume most people now prefer to talk faster! I mean, who has the time to give a damn??

Thoughts on this, do you do it?

You're supposed to hear the H in 'He' and 'Happy', but not in 'Hours'.

@SuperSocks

You're supposed to hear the H in 'He' and 'Happy', but not in 'Hours'.

I didnt know that, i am a bit feral though

I thought this was going to be about ‘aitch’ and ‘haitch’. The second is wrong and extremely irritating.

@Foxyloxy1plus1

I thought this was going to be about ‘aitch’ and ‘haitch’. The second is wrong and extremely irritating.

Unless you live in one if the many areas ( including at least one entire country) where it's the correct pronunciation.

Happy
Her
Huge
Harmony

An 'otel
An 'istorical story
Short o, short I.

Imagine the queen making a speech. Obviously she has her own unique extreme version but basically it's RP! She wouldn't say 'H-ours and H-ours'. I did read up on it years ago and there is a 'rule' for when you pronounce H and when you don't but I've totally forgotten it now! I just speak how I speak without knowing why!

@Foxyloxy1plus1

I thought this was going to be about ‘aitch’ and ‘haitch’. The second is wrong and extremely irritating.

You might want to read up on northern Irish sectarian shibboleths in language usage (among other equally interesting things about "H") before being quite so dismissive (and incorrect)

@SuperSocks

Imagine the queen making a speech. Obviously she has her own unique extreme version but basically it's RP! She wouldn't say 'H-ours and H-ours'. I did read up on it years ago and there is a 'rule' for when you pronounce H and when you don't but I've totally forgotten it now! I just speak how I speak without knowing why!

There are just a few words in English beginning with "h" where it's not pronounced, mainly of French etymology. Hour Heir Honour Honest Etc.

Hours should be enunciated slightly differently to ours, but I’ve never heard anyone fully pronounce the “h” the same way as for e.g. hand or hello.

You don’t say the h in hour.
That’s why it’s half an hour as you say it with the ow (as in down) sound.

Yes, I was thinking in terms of the more old fashioned 'queen's' english, although perhaps a little more relaxed. Like mid century theatre, etc.

That said, my favourite Oberon was Irish.

For me, there is absolutely no distinction between "hours" and "ours". Exactly the same.

Allegedly in Northern Ireland you can tell a person's religion by the way they say their H's. You may need to verify this with craicnet!

I think there’s often a faint aspiration before the h in hours which you don’t hear with ours.

That aside, the most annoying but amusing pronunciation is how Americans say herbs.

I love (almost) all accents, but there's something particularly intriguing and attractive in the American pronunciation of 'mirror'.

And squirrel!

@Littlefish

And squirrel!

In Detroit they pronounce this “tree rat.”

My first name is Helen and I live in Barnsley.

If asked the H is definitely pronounced. Being bothered when it isn't would take up far too much time.

A local friend's mum was one who really didn't know. Talking locally 'H' was never pronounced. On the phone there were aitches that have never been (including 'h'ours and 'h'outside (as in the cat went houtside and then came back 'h'in the ouse).

Also having friends who say bokkle and hospical I have learned to live and let live (although I still cringe inside).

@bewilderedwinner

For me, there is absolutely no distinction between "hours" and "ours". Exactly the same.

It’s odd with me. Sometimes ours is exactly like hours and sometimes it’s aaaaas, like when the doctor says ‘say ah’.

@Crispynoodle

Allegedly in Northern Ireland you can tell a person's religion by the way they say their H's. You may need to verify this with craicnet!

I'm northern Irish and yes, this is true . I say aitch and my dh says haitch. You can tell who's protestant and who's Catholic

Well i just have to let the cat houtside..........love that!

I'm in the north, not heard that one. However, we do have our own, should i say...unique collection

'Parapet' for pavement is one of my old favourites. Pretty much obsolete now. Not sure if it was Lancashire or Yorkshire. Vanishing lovelies.

@nothingbutsnow

I love (almost) all accents, but there's something particularly intriguing and attractive in the American pronunciation of 'mirror'.

The American pronunciation of mirror (‘meeeer’) makes my DH want to rip his ears off 😂

I thought with history and hotel (and probably others) it si equally right to say a or an and the pronunciation of the "h" follows (or vice versa)
When I write it i would always say "a hotel" " a history book" for example

Op if you are from the North of Ireland I would suspect you say Haitch 😜.
No idea what it would be in North of England- probably the same.

Can I ask?

Another H thing.

In the sentence "without his emphasis' I struggle to pronounce the H due to the initial 'without' taking my breath. Does that make sense?

Unless we are doing a very quick pronunciation of 'without' that leaves room for less than a gasp