The alphabet and 'H'.

[Thatbliddywoman]

So we say
Ay.
Bee
Sea
Dee
Ee
Eff
Jee
Aitch. Except we don't. We say 'Haitch'.
Why?
We make the aitch have its own letter as the sound of the word for it
We don't do that with any other letter. Why H?
We don't say 'wubbleyew' do we, It's 'doubleyew'?
I don't understand it.

How could someone from another country possibly know about that?

Education?

Reading?

Curiosity?

@toiletpaper

I'm welsh and we say haitch although it's more like haaaach, like haitch but without the obvious i. Similar to the name Shane, we say Shane whereas in England (don't know about other places sorry) I believe it's said more like Shaine.

Although when I say nhs out loud in my head I say it like enn atch ess, I seem to drop the H part.

In the part of wales where I live (not born in this part) they drop the H part too much. This woman used to live by us and her daughter was called Helen, for about 5 years I thought her name was Ellen because of how my ex pronounced it!

I can’t perceive of the difference between Shane and Shaine. Can you be more precise?

Aitch as far as I’m concerned

I say Haitch because I'm Irish and that's how we say it

@Smallsteps88

How could someone from another country possibly know about that though? I certainly didn't until I read this thread. Why on Earth would I have known?

The same why I and many others who were raised to say “haitch” know that others say “aitch”. How is that we can be aware others say it differently but it’s outrageous to suggest you might have noticed that in your 60 years of life? Do you live in a bubble?

I think they meant that they didn't know about the issues with that particular word for Irish people?

It is still possible to know about things that happen in other countries if you don’t think your learning is over when you leave primary school.

@DollyDoneMore

How could someone from another country possibly know about that?

Education?

Reading?

Curiosity?

How can somebody from England know that the use of the word 'aitch' or 'haitch' could have sectarian connotations in NI?

"I know, I'll think of a totally random word and then go and find out if it offends people in Northern Ireland" isn't something people wake up one morning and suddenly decide to do, is it?

This thread is getting ridiculous.

@DollyDoneMore

It is still possible to know about things that happen in other countries if you don’t think your learning is over when you leave primary school.

indeed!

And yet... I am from England. I know this. How is this even possible?

I'm Catholic, have 'H' at the start of my name and say 'Haitch'. This is the first time I've heard of it being incorrect

@blacksax Elsewhere in the world people pronounce English words differently. They are welcome to do so. But when English people are talking on a forum based in England about a word in the English language

Mother of...xxxx that's like the bold child who won't share her sweets... mine, MINE... it's MY forum. It's setup England, it's mine and everybody else your opinions are only secondary as guests. Are you sure you are 60 and not 10?

@CooperLooper I'm also from the North West, and I say "aitch", because it is "aitch".

I think they meant that they didn't know about the issues with that particular word for Irish people?

There aren't issues for Irish people. We pronounce it Haitch and are aware many British people pronounce it Aitch. No issues (until we're sneered at).

There are issues for Northern Irish people, where pronunciation can denote community. That is in part of the UK, not some crazy foreign land.

Eveningfalls - Now you’ve gone and done it......bold means something different in UK English so people will think as well as being incapable of pronouncing haitch ‘correctly’ you’ve now used the word ‘bold’ incorrectly too🤣🤣

I remember living in England briefly in my 20s and discovering it was a whole other language!

I hate when people who say things a certain get all high and mighty over those who say it differently. Its regional, we all have accents, we all say things differently. I dont care if you say haich or aich, or how you say scone, or anything else. It's not like you dont know what they're saying so why does it matter.

Just when you think this thread can't get any more nuts:

But when English people are talking on a forum based in England about a word in the English language, then clearly they are entitled to say what they feel is the correct English pronunciation.

How can @mnhq continue to let this stand?

This is an open forum on the Internet ie for anyone who wants to post.

It's not a word, it's a letter in the language that I speak in my country, that happens to be Ireland and it's pronounced a particular way where I live, not where everyone lives.

How small-minded you are.

@Miscella

Eveningfalls - Now you’ve gone and done it......bold means something different in UK English so people will think as well as being incapable of pronouncing haitch ‘correctly’ you’ve now used the word ‘bold’ incorrectly too🤣🤣

I remember living in England briefly in my 20s and discovering it was a whole other language!

Ooh what does the bold in the bold little boy mean then? I was assuming it had a different meaning in that context

Bold in England is brave. Bold in Ireland is naughty. Bold words are what bold children might say and we should ignore, and a great many adults use them without realizing.

Wonder if some of the hyperbolic reactors to haitch would react if they they ever discovered how the name for 'a' is often said in Ireland.

There could be fatal conniptions.

Is mumsnet an English forum for English people? I didn't realise. I assumed it was for anyone You've made a terrible mistake. This thread is similar to the ones about Scottish term times, Santa, Halloween, regional homophones and weather differences around the country. And by the way Prince William is not the future King of England.

@derxa

Is mumsnet an English forum for English people? I didn't realise. I assumed it was for anyone You've made a terrible mistake. This thread is similar to the ones about Scottish term times, Santa, Halloween, regional homophones and weather differences around the country. And by the way Prince William is not the future King of England.

It is. I accidentally got here through a wormhole. The internet police are on the lookout for me as I'm on the most wanted list.

There's a good for people form MN on it. They are easy to spoke they say things wrong and there are piles of people dying at their feet, caused by the horror of their wrongness.

easy to spot - not easy to spoke!!

@CherryValanc

Wonder if some of the hyperbolic reactors to haitch would react if they they ever discovered how the name for 'a' is often said in Ireland.

There could be fatal conniptions.

Tell all, I love all the language differences in "English" not then I'm an English Mom so I give half of MN the discombobulation a anuway

I hate when people who say things a certain get all high and mighty over those who say it differently. Its regional, we all have accents, we all say things differently. I dont care if you say haich or aich, or how you say scone, or anything else. It's not like you dont know what they're saying so why does it matter.

Ah, but which way round do you jam / cream said scone? That's a cause for open warfare.

I come from the land of wee scones and tray bakes. I don't understand how hq haven't zapped the traybake threads with Ulster vernacular and some Scottish bits and bobs.
My nice builder in the far south of Ireland is from Manchester, he brings his own barm or butties, and puts his ladders in my ginnel.