Why do some people pronounce the letter "H" Haitch? It's spelt Aitch, so where does the extra at the beginning come from?

[lardhelmet]

[jake-the-peg]

This is the "Hibernian Haitch" - AS QM alludes to

This particular tendency is very common in Ireland - common enough for it easilly to be considerred an acceptable variant.

This association with Ireland is most likely the reason that it is associated here with ignorant people or lowerclasses or whatever.

This prejudice is then passed down a few generations unit it "makes people spit"

Who decided it was spelt that way anyhow? the Oxford English dictionary? - their source material primarily comes from the written word they are very weak in accepting usage from oral traditions.

So you have a situation of hundreds of thousands of people using something and some others telling them that they are "wrong".

In language that is nonsense

[fredpuli47]

"No, dear, the T is silent, as in Harlow" is said to be the reply of the Prime Minister's wife, Margot Asquith, when Jean Harlow misread Mrs Asquith's name as Mar-goT at dinner. No doubt Mrs Asquith was of a generation when 'harlot' was in use and of a class that left the H (and the G) off 'untin', as in 'untin, fishin and shootin'.

[odinslay]

Its also a big thing between NZers and Australians, Aussies spell it with the long haitch. which annoys the hell out of us. and vise versa