Re: Pronouncing initialisms/acronyms (was: e-mail)

[Stuart Reynolds <reynolds -at- IC -dot- NET>]

On Wednesday, January 17, 1996 4:10 AM, loryn wrote:
>Try applying this rule to phonemic representations of words, rather =
than orthographic representations. You'll find that "Uniform" does not =
begin with a vowel, it begins with a glide (ie., the j in this =
semi-phnoemic representation: "junIform" [I apologise to those who =
understand phonemic lettering, you can't really do it in ASCII]. Whereas =
opening begins with a vowel.
Ummm.. Well, when I went to school, The letter "U" was a vowel.  As in =
A, E, I, O, "U" and Y being an exception. So, while it's *sound* is not =
that of the defined vowel, it (the letter itself) is still very much, a  =
vowel.   And while this is correct, and really getting (I think) a =
little "deep", it still doesn't denounce the fact that some words which =
begin with vowels (as in A, E, I, O, U), don't get an "an" but get an =
"a".

>The only exception to this rule I'm aware of is "an historical" usage =
that I've usually only noted in British writing, ie., using it before a =
word starting with "h". But I don't see that much in contemporary =
(Australian, at least) writing.
Heh.. I still call my H's Haych  :o) ...  But I would speak it "a =
historical"... I was just pointing out, that there is nothing cut and =
dry about it. =20
Stuart Reynolds
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