My niece Jo went to a government primary school, until the end of year six. From then on she attends a non religious very excellent private school. She is nearly sixteen years old now.
In her last couple of years a primary school, her accent changed. It became what I call posh private school, the sounds I hear all the time on trams as they carry private school children. This is not an English accent, it is Australia's own. She does not speak like her parents or anyone else I know. But then nor do I. I don't sound American. To an Australian I don't Australian and to English, I don't sound English. I think I just have some unusual vowel sounds. Those who actually know me will understand. I doubt Jo can help the way she speaks anymore than I can.
About three years ago Jo insisted to Auntie Andrew that the 'h' was pronounced and spelt 'haitch'. In no uncertain terms I told her it wasn't but she insisted.
As a retired person, I don't have a lot spare time, and not enough to properly read this very good blog, https://separatedbyacommonlanguage.blogspot.com/ with its main focus being the differences between British and American English. I skim read it, but this grabbed me.
A common response to an American pronunciation of herb is: "Are you a Cockney, then?" Dropping aitches is a definite marker of lower social class--and these days it's fairly rare. In fact, aitches get inserted sometimes in the name of the letter, i.e. haitch. This is heard in the semi-humorous admonision to not 'drop your haitches' (and thus sound 'common'), but is heard unironically in many people's everyday speech, although it is not considered to be 'standard' usage. The story is that it's the Irish pronunciation, and I've read in various places that haitch marks Catholics in Northern Ireland and the Catholic-educated in Australia. I've noticed no such associations here, and neither have friends of mine, though one did suggest that it might be a marker of region rather than religion here. Indeed, my haitch-saying friend is from Liverpool, whose dialect (Scouse) is influenced by Irish immigrants.
My step father was Catholic and I had the same disagreement about aitch with him decades ago. I printed out the above and handed it to Jo, pointing out that it was written by an American linguist, who lives in England. She glanced at it and I knew she will read it properly later. I whispered in her ear, saying haitch is a class marker word. You will be judged if you say haitch. I said this with the assumption that she will enter a world of academia or the world of theatre, music and public entertainment. I can't bear the thought that necks would snap in surprise if she was speaking in public and she said haitch and not aitch.
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Growing up haitch definitely marked those who had a Catholic education. And was banned in our home.
ReplyDeleteEC, I remember it as being a terrible nono, but perhaps the then divide between Protestants and Catholics influenced that.
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ReplyDeleteAitch is in the dictionary - haitch isn't and is therefore wrong. Simple. It's an ongoing battle here in England . . .
JabBlog, indeed that does make it very simple.
DeleteOh, that is a minefield. The haitch is quite commonly used here as a regional manner of speech. To me, coming from the "Home Counties", it sounds wrong but I am accused of being snobbish if I comment on our differences in pronunciation.
ReplyDeleteJayCee, it is interesting that it is an issue for you too. I would never correct anyone except for Jo, solely because I care. But there is nothing wrong with a general discussion about its usage.
DeleteAll these rules! Sometimes it's hard to know when to drop your aitches and when to add them, it depends on who (whom?) you are talking with at the time, if you want to fit in. Another excellent reason for me to stay home and stay quiet.
ReplyDeleteRiver, an aitch in front of a soft aitch as you are speaking, such as the word historical I think sounds better with an 'an'. I don't really adjust my speech depending on who I am talking to, although I am inclined to pick up accents easily. I given up on who/whom and just use who, unless I am sure it is whom.
DeleteI am just happy to get the vowels right when I speak lol
ReplyDeleteRoentare, yet there is an old saying, look after the consonants and the vowels will look after themselves.
DeleteNow I really want to meet you, just to hear you speak!
ReplyDeleteHaitch was considered so lower class when I was growing up. (Mother's words, not mine!)
Caro, I don't like hearing myself speaking but others say I speak well enough. Yes, it was just not done when I was young and really did seem to be a class marker. Maybe I shouldn't foist my 60s education on Jo...yes, of course I should. There is right and wrong.
DeleteI would ask for a bit of a refund from the private school as they have failed to address the aitch/haitch issue with which Jo has clearly struggled. Good job she has got nice Uncle Andrew to guide her.
ReplyDeleteDo school teachers correct pronunciation now YP? Did you? Everyone who knows me is fortunate but at times you would not know it.
DeleteThen there is the English issue of Zeee, or Zed.
ReplyDelete. . . or zad, as my mother used to say (born in 1904)
DeleteYes TP, and the youngers who grow up watching US tv are now saying zee. I need to slap them.
DeleteZad JabBlog? I didn't know that one.
DeleteI love different accents and always try hard to guess the origin before I ask. In fact in the coffee shop we make bets on the correct answer. So "h" doesn't bother me at all.
ReplyDeleteBut I hate grammatical mistakes that seem to have gone into English in other countries eg got vs gotten, real vs really :(
Hels, I am the same but I don't ask. R rather likes the waiter at Soul Cafe in Swanston Street. He has an eastern European accent, and he sounds like a Lithuanian acquaintance, so I guess that is where he is from. We all have our grammar hates.
DeleteLOL. You are certainly taking your child rearing responsibilities very seriously. It's an aitch here.
ReplyDeleteI wonder if haitch exists at all in your country Debby?
DeleteLoved this post. Thanks also for introducing me to the blog of Dr Lynne Murphy. The US and the UK are said to be divided by a common language.
ReplyDeleteI wasn't aware of this difference in the pronouncination of H.
Z is another letter. It's pronounced differently by the Americans and the British.
With so many Hollywood movies and American sitcoms available easily around the world, I can see the AmE influence spreading.
Pradeep, we are fighting a losing battle here with young people over the pronunciation of the letter z, solely due to American tv shows aimed at children.
DeleteAt work recently, we had a young person tell an older person that "zed is wrong, it's zee".
DeleteJames, young people can be so certain they are correct.
DeleteI definitely group up with haitch, though I'm not sure if it was Catholic or working class, or a combination of both. I think I lost it in high school, as I was exposed to a greater variety of people, and become a little more "upwardly mobile". The other class marker I've picked up is the use of the the phrase (both spoken and written) "what of" instead of "what have", and I have some family who write somethink without any sense of irony.
ReplyDeleteWhat of just sounds so wrong. I guess it can be hard for schools to overcome the way a student's family speak at home, if indeed schools try at all.
DeleteInteresting. Growing up in English Montreal going to Catholic schools I have always said "haitch". When we moved to Toronto people would say oh, you went to Catholic school! I now say "aitch".
ReplyDeleteSo it is the same in your country Jackie. Very interesting. Would not a Catholic church in Montreal have a kind of French influence rather than Irish?
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