It's *aitch* [angry]

[ohmymimi]

Justine Greening on 'The Sunday Politics' constantly saying 'haitch' - beyond irritating.

I used to have this arguement with my Irish mother, she would say Haitch but then talk about her aitch knit junper she was knitting. So frustrating.

She would also use the "Helen begins with H, so it is Haitch" arguement. I would point out that 'mum' begins with 'em' not 'mem', nan begins with 'en' not 'nen'. She still wouldn't have it. Totally ridiculous arguement.

It was so frustrating.

Freckled
Of course it's 'aitch'. Does anyone think the Queen or landed gentry would say 'haitch'? Just because people are ignorant/are taught wrongly/are from Ireland, doesn't mean that 'haitch' is right or acceptable.
WTAF!?
Why would what the queen says matter to me?

X posted with the world, there.
But really!

Why would what the queen says matter to me

Exactly. Because the queen says it a certain way does not make any other way wrong.

What annoys me is when I go to Ireland and get told 'aitch' is wrong because 'horse', 'husband' etc. begin in 'H', but then they say "ess", "em" and "why" (Y). Illogical arguement and so frustrating.

(Must check with infant teachers after the holidays what name the Jolly Phonics programme gives the letter 'H')

I don't dispute that the correct pronunciation is 'aitch' and consider myself to be a card-carrying pedant but as an Irish person, I couldn't imagine anyone saying 'aitch' without sounding incredibly pretentious. Couldn't bear when one of the retired RTE news presenters said RTE - saying ARE for OR, it just grates and sounds like she was trying to sound English (and there is no greater crime )

YoureBeingASillyBilly

It's haitch. Because helen begins with a 'heh' not an 'eh'

It was a long time ago for me, but don't they teach letter names and letter sounds fairly early in primary school?

'Ess' starts with an 'e', but Simon isn't pronounced "Esimon".

It is, "aitch," in the Oxford English Dictionary, but many people do use haitch, unconnected to what Christian denomination they are or whether they're Christian at all.
I know that in Welsh the letter is said like highych, with a bit of a throaty ch on the initial part of the letter name, so perhaps the other Celtic languages are similar.
It tends to annoy me when I'm asked to spell my name and I say, "aitch," and the person says, "do you mean haitch?" That's just bad manners though !

Aitch
According to OED
Regional variations are precisely that - variations of the correct pronunciation.