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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

...to think it's 'a MNer' not 'an MNer'

28 replies

MackerelOfFact · 02/04/2014 09:53

(As per the top thread on DOTD).

I always read 'MNer' as 'Mumsnetter', not 'Em-en-er'.

Am I the only one?! Is there a rule?!

OP posts:
CookieLady · 02/04/2014 09:55

YANBU!

TulipOHare · 02/04/2014 09:55

I hear it in my head as "em-en-er".

Don't think there is a rule though Grin

EverythingsDozy · 02/04/2014 09:59

An en-em-er? Do do do do do
Mahna mahna do do do do

NymodigFruOla · 02/04/2014 10:01

Same as Tulip, I hear - and say MNer - as em-en-er, not Mumsnetter.

So if you say it as em-en-er it would sound odd to say "a em-en-er"; "an em-en-er" rolls off the tongue more easily.

HolgerDanske · 02/04/2014 10:04

'An' is correct, because the spoken pronunciation of the opening letter has a beginning vowel sound, even though the letter itself is a consonant.

owlbegoing · 02/04/2014 10:05

I'm in the an em-en-er camp Smile

BigRedBall · 02/04/2014 10:06

Heeheehee, net mums users are EN EMAS.... ENEMA. Grin

Fruli · 02/04/2014 10:06

I read 'Mumsnetter' too, YANBU.

Dozy: Grin

BananaBumps · 02/04/2014 10:08

YANBU - it's clearly Mumsnetter so "a".

InAGrump · 02/04/2014 10:09

Yabu to me it's 'an em-netter'

NymodigFruOla · 02/04/2014 10:10

Have a look at this thread www.mumsnet.com/Talk/site_stuff/2007635-So-we-thought-wed-have-a-sort-of-Mumsnet-open-day?. Justine picking the 'names out of the hat' for the open day. There's a YouTube link on 3rd March - Justine says Em-En!

diddl · 02/04/2014 10:10

I always read it as it is written.

So an MNer.

ApplesinmyPocket · 02/04/2014 10:12

Think of MPV (Multi-Purpose Vehicle) - you would say you own 'AN MPV' not A MPV, I expect?

But the clue is in your second sentence - ' I always read MNer as Mumsnetter...' so what you hear in your head will influence you; I hear 'em-enner' Grin

BeverleyMoss · 02/04/2014 10:12

a MNer

an emener

...to think it's 'a MNer' not 'an MNer'
MorrisZapp · 02/04/2014 10:14

Where to we stand on a hotel v. an hotel?

I say a hotel because I pronounce hotel with the h clearly spoken.

Cos I ain't French.

DealForTheKids · 02/04/2014 10:29

See, now all I can thing of is 'an enema' :S

Are we all enemas? [boak]

DealForTheKids · 02/04/2014 10:30

Oh, X post, ignore me!

Lweji · 02/04/2014 10:31

YADNBU

ViviPru · 02/04/2014 10:32

Oh! I always read it as Mumsnetter. Had no clue it might have been seen by some as em-en-er. How interesting!

ViviPru · 02/04/2014 10:33

Where to we stand on a hotel v. an hotel?

I say "a h-word". I write an h-word.

OBGynKenobi · 02/04/2014 10:41

www.youtube.com/watch?v=bZ1KDf3O-qU

MackerelOfFact · 02/04/2014 10:56

I can't justify why I read MNer as Mumsnetter and not em-en-er (da da da) because I read 'DS' as dee-ess and 'DP' as dee-pee, etc.

But. I read 'YANBU' as 'you are not being unreasonable' and not 'yan-boo'.

I guess it just depends how you read acronyms I guess.

OP posts:
MackerelOfFact · 02/04/2014 10:59

"Think of MPV (Multi-Purpose Vehicle) - you would say you own 'AN MPV' not A MPV, I expect?"

Fair point indeed. BUT, MPV is clearly quicker to say than multi-purpose vehicle and therefore MPV is used because it is less of a mouthful. Yet MNer is no quicker to say than Mumsnetter - it is just used as it is quicker to type - so you might as well say Mumsnetter, since that's what is stands for.

I appreciate the logic of this thought process is not watertight.

OP posts:
Lweji · 02/04/2014 11:02

I say "a h-word". I write an h-word.

That's not very logical.
We write an h-word because we pronounce it as an h-word.

HolgerDanske · 02/04/2014 11:31

Oh heh, I'd not even considered the fact that some might read the word rather than the acronym...