A Historian vs. An Historian

Hello, you have A Way with Words.

Hi, Marzen Grant. This is Anne. I’m calling from Connecticut.

Hello, Anne in Connecticut. How are you?

Good.

What’s up?

I’m a social studies teacher at a middle school in New London, and I’m calling with a question about A versus Anne historians.

Growing up, I always heard the rule that when there was a silent H, you used Anne. For example, Anne Herb.

But one day, I had another teacher of mine actually correct an assignment. She said it should be an historian, which made me wonder if I’m pronouncing historian wrong or if there is just a special rule for that word.

Okay, so you’re wondering if the term is actually historian?

Yes, and if I’m pronouncing it wrong.

Oh, really?

And if I am pronouncing it wrong, does that mean I’m also pronouncing a history book wrong? It should be an history book.

That’s really good. Anne, it sounds like you already know the answer here.

Right?

Do I?

Yeah.

Yeah.

I think you do. You sound like you’re calling us for confirmation of some basic truths.

Well, I would like to think that I was right from the beginning, and it should be our historian.

Sure.

You’re absolutely right.

Yes.

And everyone who is shouting at the radio right now, hold on a second. Martha’s going to explain.

Well, yeah, the rule for a long time has been that it’s A before a consonant and N before a vowel or a vowel sound. So you have a high school, a horse, a historian, unless you do pronounce it historian. But if you do, I think that’s hysterical.

Well, some people do say, I mean, in other dialects of English, it’s probable, possible that you might drop the H sound at the beginning of words like historian and historical and history. But in the American English dialects, we don’t do that. And so the proper article is A without the N. It’s a historian, a history, a historical drama.

That’s honestly the first time I think Google has ever given me the wrong answer then.

Well, where did you go? You Googled it? Because we’ll talk to them.

I just Googled it, and several websites told me that I was wrong in saying a historian. So I’m so glad to find out that my old English teacher was correct in telling me it should be us.

Why did they say that? Did they give any kind of reasoning for that?

No, there was no reason, which is why I was so excited to be able to ask you.

I’ll tell you, and I’ll try to do this without ranting, Anne. I’ll tell you what happened. There are some people that simply love to feel superior, and when they find this rule which defeats our expectations, they love to perpetrate it and propagate it in order to make other people feel like they’re wrong. And there’s another whole class of people who just believe what they’re told without reanalyzing. And so I’m so glad that you did your own research on the Internet and called us, and now you’re getting the straight story here.

There is no reason to say anhistorian unless you don’t pronounce the H. If your H is invisible in that word, then by all means say anhistorian. But most Americans don’t say that.

And I feel so much better now being able to tell my students the correct way.

Yeah. And you know what? They’re going to get pushback. They’re going to get people like your fellow teacher who swear up and down that they know the answer.

They don’t. They’re wrong.

You know what? This is something I tell people. If you are looking for a style guide, Anne, if you’re looking for something for your desk or to recommend to a student, open it up to the part where they talk about this rule. And if they don’t agree with what Martha has said, then don’t buy the book.

Absolutely.

Okay? Because they’re wrong. Any book, any topic. If they don’t agree with me.

I don’t go that far. I just say this particular one. Anyway, that’s what I believe. All right?

Yep.

Great.

Well, like I said, thank you so much. It was a real honor to talk to you. I love your show.

It’s our pleasure. Thanks, Nicole. And you call us again sometime.

It sounds like you are a happy camper, not an happy camper.

Very much.

Thank you.

Take care now.

Bye-bye.

Bye.

Bye.

There are some people that swear it has something to do with stress, and some people who swear it has to do with the vowel sound at the beginning, and there are some people who say, well, it’s just, it’s idiomatic. It doesn’t follow the rule. It’s the exception.

Rubbish, rubbish, rubbish. Prove it, prove it, prove it.

Yeah.

And call us, 877-929-9673, or send your ranty emails to words@waywordradio.org.