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Is it Aich or Haich?
3

Is it Aich or Haich?

Is it Aich or Haich?

(OP)
When talking with different folks who need to call an alpha-numeric sequence,  some will pronounce the capital letter H    Haich and others Aich .
I'm quite used to the different pronounciation, just curious if it's the same in other parts. I reckon where I live, in Australia, it is pretty much an even split.

RE: Is it Aich or Haich?

All the Americans I know say Aich with the exception of one guy who used to call me Haitch-Gee.  But I think he would still say Aitch when spelling something.

I've heard "Haich" from some Irish people.

Hg

Eng-Tips policies:  FAQ731-376

RE: Is it Aich or Haich?

How I hate haitch.

RE: Is it Aich or Haich?

In Ireland, there is no haich in Tursday.

RE: Is it Aich or Haich?

I was always taught to drop the 'aich' when saying 'H'

RE: Is it Aich or Haich?

In the UK it seems to depend on background and education.  The uneducated say haich; the educated say aich.  And it's quite common for someone who says haich to also say anythink rather than anything.

RE: Is it Aich or Haich?

I worked with a Jamaican once who used to joke he had a teacher who would say “Hemphasize Hyour Haich  Hyou Hignorant Hass!”

RE: Is it Aich or Haich?

I had an irish coworker who said haich - I asked him about it one day, and he said he had never noticed that we were saying anything different...

RE: Is it Aich or Haich?

My mother (who came to Canada from Italy) prounounces "haich" as well.

Ironically, she sometimes uses a silent 'H' when normally you would pronounce it, so instead of saying "human", she says "you-man".

My brother and I knew not to say anything about it, unless we wanted an earful of Italian curses...

RE: Is it Aich or Haich?

(OP)
TheTick said "In Ireland, there is no haich in Tursday.

ivymike said I had an irish co-worker who said haich - I asked him about it one day, and he said he had never noticed that we were saying anything different...

A perception rather than anything else, but come to think of it, Irish seem to avoid the "th" sound. "t" as in tuh, and "h" as in huh but no "th" as in Thursday, or th, as in "t'ere you have it". If as kids they were taught not to pronounce H as Aich, it was too hard to pronounce Thursday as TuhHuh-ursday. So in this instance, a silent H.

In Australia, imo, it's safe to assume those who pronounce H  Haich, are probably Roman Catholic or were educated at a RC educational institution. Its also imo safe to assume that people of Irish extraction still run the RC church in Australia and likewise the RC educational institutions. Roman Catholics account for roughly 40% of our population.

As an aside, I was Christened Church of England and taught to say H as Aich, attended a Methodist school and at nine years age, watched with horror a new classmate roundly chastised for pronouncing H as Haich.
My wife of 35 years is Roman Catholic and pronounces H as Haich, We remain entrenched with our different opinions on this and neither are gonna change.wink

This is probably my last post before Christmas so I would like to wish everyone the very best for Christmas and New Year.
Regards,
rnd2

RE: Is it Aich or Haich?

Similarly, I noticed during my American years that Americans do not pronounce "ue" the same way other English speaking peoples do.  For them it's "oo".  For everyone else it's "you".  Two examples: "Tuesday" (Toosday/Tyousday) and due (doo/Dyou).

RE: Is it Aich or Haich?

as an Irish person I can categorically state that Haitch is an Irish thing alright!

RE: Is it Aich or Haich?

To quote the immortal Eddie Izzard:

"...and we have herb, pronounced Herb, because there's a f*ing Haitch in it."

Anytime you want a lovely look at pronounciation, go find 'Dressed to Kill' - simply hilarious.

RE: Is it Aich or Haich?

I'm sorry, as an Irishman, I can assure you H doesn't exist in the Irish language, as is borne out by the proverbial small ad in the job vacancies column: 'tree fellers wanted'.

RE: Is it Aich or Haich?

Ze French always do it the other way around, they don't pronounce existing h's but pronounce the nonexisting ones.

When my wife and I used to speak English (that was just before the invention of the wheel), she used to upset me by telling me all of a sudden she was angry, until 5 minutes later I found out she meant hungry.


justkeepgivinger, "instead of saying "human", she says "you-man"" - are there other ways to say human?

RE: Is it Aich or Haich?

HYOO-min

Hg

Eng-Tips policies:  FAQ731-376

RE: Is it Aich or Haich?

now you sound like a german, hgtx smile

RE: Is it Aich or Haich?

I am always amused when I hear Americans mispronounce herb as 'erb.  Almost like it sounds more sophisticated and clever.

RE: Is it Aich or Haich?

'erb is not a mispronounciation, just a different one.  Check the dictionary.

RE: Is it Aich or Haich?

It's our bloody language!!!

----------------------------------
  Your body may be a temple. Mine is an amusement park...

RE: Is it Aich or Haich?

Try walking around Montreal and hearing people say:

That's a a really nice air cut you have.  
Then she says, then I says, then she says, etc.


That gets me everytime.

RE: Is it Aich or Haich?

2
When Prime Minister Chretien decided to retire from public life, the British ambassador in Ottawa and his wife threw a gala dinner party in his honor. At the dinner table, the Ambassador's wife was talking with Madame Chretien.

"Your husband has been such a prominent public figure, such a presence on the French and international scene for so many years! How quiet retirement will seem in comparison. What are you most looking forward to in these retirement years?"

"A penis," replied Aline.

A huge hush fell over the table. Everyone heard her answer... and no one knew what to say next.

Le Grand Jean leaned over to his wife and said, "Ma cherie, I believe de English pronounce dat word,... 'appiness!'"

MERRY CHRISTMAS
(Unabashedly Politically Incorrect)

RE: Is it Aich or Haich?

I would like to declare this thread officially closed.  Nobody is going to top the above post from CBL.

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