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From 'hwhat' to 'what': Tracing a letter's disappearing act. Barkhouse.

Jan 30, 2024

Explore the rise and fall of the letter H with linguistics professor Kate Burridge and psychology professor Catherine McBride. They discuss debates over its name, the disappearing act of the letter H, its historical context and resurgence in English, the importance of letter sounds in learning to read, the evolution of the word 'what' and the disappearance of the 'H' sound, and family dialects.

17:54

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Episode guests

Catherine McBride

Kate Burridge

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Episode notes

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Quick takeaways

The pronunciation of the letter H has evolved over time, with some people dropping the H sound at the beginning of words while others emphasize it, showing the social and historical implications of H pronunciation as a distinguishing factor between in-group and out-group members.

The dropping of the H sound in the word 'what' and the various regional and generational differences in its pronunciation demonstrate the unconscious nature of pronunciation changes influenced by factors like geography, education level, and societal shifts, highlighting the significance of studying function words for understanding language evolution and societal perceptions.

Deep dives

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Introduction

2min

The Disappearing Act of the Letter 'H'

3min

The Historical Context and Resurgence of the Letter 'H' in English

3min

The Importance of Letter Sounds in Learning to Read

5min

The Evolution of 'What' and the Disappearance of the 'H' Sound

7min

Family Dialects and Call for Stories

2min

966. We explore the rise and fall of the letter H: Debates over its name ("haitch" or "aitch"?) and why a once-prestigious pronunciation like "hwhat" now seems old-fashioned.

The "haitch" segment was written by Kate Burridge, a professor of linguistics at Monash University, and Catherine McBride, a professor of psychology at Chinese University of Hong Kong. It originally appeared on "The Conversation" and appears here through a Creative Commons license.

| Transcript: https://grammar-girl.simplecast.com/episodes/letter-h/transcript

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