Why do Catholics pronounce H Haitch?

In Northern Ireland the Catholic population is distinguished from the Protestant by the former saying 'haitch' and the latter 'aitch'. 'Haitch' is the way Catholic primary schools teach H in the alphabet and therefore may well have Papal authority as correct!

Why do some people pronounce H as Haitch?

In Britain, H apparently owes its “haitch” pronunciation to the Catholic Normans, who brought the old French word “hache” with them when they invaded in 1066. With aitch and haitch, it still seems to be linked to the speaker's religion. According to Rosen, “haitch” is the Catholic way and “aitch” is the Protestant way.

Is saying Haitch wrong?

Haitch is logical but not socially acceptable. Again history plays its part. In Australia the haitch pronunciation has been linked with Irish Catholics, the Marist Brothers in particular, although no real research has been done into this and it may well be hearsay or at best circumstantial.

How do Catholics pronounce the letter H?

Did you know that Protestants and Catholics pronounce the letter "H" differently. Apparently they do in Northern Ireland anyway. Catholics say it like 'height' while the Protestants say it like 'eight'.

Is the letter H pronounced Aitch or Haitch?

H, or h, is the eighth letter in the Latin alphabet, used in the modern English alphabet, the alphabets of other western European languages and others worldwide. Its name in English is aitch (pronounced /ˈeɪtʃ/, plural aitches), or regionally haitch /ˈheɪtʃ/.

The H Wars

Who says Haitch instead of Aitch?

The two variants used to mark the religious divide in Northern Ireland – aitch was Protestant, haitch was Catholic, and getting it wrong could be a dangerous business.

Why do some Brits pronounce H as Haitch?

One suggestion is that it touches on a long anxiety in English over the letter aitch. In the 19th Century, it was normal to pronounce hospital, hotel and herb without the h. Nowadays "aitch anxiety" has led to all of them acquiring a new sound, a beautifully articulated aitch at the beginning.

How do Irish people say H?

The oddly named letter H is usually pronounced 'aitch' /eɪtʃ/ in British English, but in Ireland we tend to aspirate it as 'haitch' /heɪtʃ/. This haitching is a distinctive feature of Hiberno-English, one that may have originated as an a hypercorrection but is now the norm in most Irish dialects.

What is H in Old Irish?

Consonants: “H”

The scribes, for their part, did not choose to show this /h/ in any consistent way. The practical outcome: the letter “h” by itself is meaningless in Old Irish texts, except as a member of the digraphs “ch, th, ph”.

Why do Irish people not say the letter H?

It is because our ancestors spoke the Irish language and it doesn't have a “th” sound. It does have those two letters in that order but in Irish the “t” is not pronounced and “th” sounds like “h”.

Why do Americans pronounce h wrong?

Answer. Answer: The Americans have picked this up from Norman- French. "Herb" is a word that would have been very commonly used by the French, so that is why it would have stuck, as oppose to other words in the American dialect such as "helicopter."

Why do Australians pronounce h Haitch?

One theory goes that it's because the “haitch” pronunciation was associated with Irish Catholic immigrants who came here. Because they were typically working-class and associated with a lower level of education, this pronunciation was thus deemed of “lower quality”.

How is h pronounced in England?

British English dictionaries give aytch as the standard pronunciation for the letter H. However, the pronunciation haytch is also attested as a legitimate variant.

How do you pronounce h in the UK?

So, h pronunciation - you make the h sound with the tongue low in your mouth and the lips apart and the vocal folds approximating to create a hiss-like breath. This is a voiceless sound.

What does dropping your h's mean?

to not pronounce the letter h at the beginning of words in which it should be pronounced: He drops his aitches and it really annoys my parents. I confess I dropped my aitches just to fit in. Now and then she would drop her h's in an effort to appear less posh.

Why do Irish say hiya?

'Hiya' or 'Hey up' – these informal greetings both mean 'hello' and are especially popular in the north of England. 'What about ye?' is popular in Northern Ireland and is another way of saying 'How are you?'

Why do Irish say ye instead of you?

Why do Irish say ye instead of you? “ye” was an older plural form of “you” in english. its kept by the irish in the west of ireland, as in the irish language, there still is a singular & plural form for “you”.

Why do Irish say ye?

“ye” was an older plural form of “you” in english. its kept by the irish in the west of ireland, as in the irish language, there still is a singular & plural form for “you”.

What way do Protestants say H?

Did you know that Protestants and Catholics pronounce the letter "H" differently. Apparently they do in Northern Ireland anyway. Catholics say it like 'height' while the Protestants say it like 'eight'.

How is H pronounced in USA?

To create the h sound, the deep back of the tongue slightly constricts within the throat. The upper/front part of the tongue as well as the lips will often move into the shape of surrounding sounds at the same time as the h sound is being produced.

How is H pronounced in America?

The H sound is sort of like a whisper: you push air out through the vocal cords. And the friction of the air passing between the vocal chords is the H sound. It's the same sound you make when you want to warm your hand on a cold winter day. It's the same sound you're making when you're whispering.

Why do we say Zed instead of Zee?

English speakers in other Commonwealth countries also prefer the pronunciation zed. As zed is the British pronunciation and zee is chiefly American, zed represents one of the rare occasions in which most Canadians prefer the British to the American pronunciation.