Aitch, NOT Haitch please!!!

I don’t agree that most letter names begin with their sounds maizie. Ef, el, em, en, etc etc.
I do agree that any mispronunciation is down to poor teaching by teachers AND parents. As a teacher I know it’s almost impossible to change a pronunciation that is used in the home.

Here in Ireland you can tell someones religion by how they pronounce it. Catholic schools teach it with the H sound, Protestant schools don't!

I agree too Trisha57

Yes "haitch" definitely grinds my gears too hear it so often, even on the BBC, it was frowned upon when I was growing up, came into the same category as "them things" for example. I've heard my granddaughter saying "haitch" on occasions, but I realise that may be standard even at school, I let it go otherwise I fear I may come across as a nit picker!

I would add, I think if a person who has English as a second language pronounces anything in what is perceived as a non standard way, absolutely fine, just amazing to have a second language One of my French cousin often emails me with his own spin on English, but being fluent to talk and write in another language, albeit with the odd mistake, is everything imo.

Yep, we find it highly irritating here too.

Craftycat it's not just you Aitches! I'm often called by my initial (not H). Funnily enough we were talking about this at home once, and we all seemed to agree that it works for some initials and not for others. It works for anyone whose name starts with a B, D, T, H, G, for example, but it's unlikely you'd hear anyone saying, e.g. 'Hi F', or N, S, J, R. Unlikely with any of the vowels either - 'Hi I' sounds a bit ridiculous!

No doubt others will disagree with these examples!

Jara2

That’s ilarious

Seriously, with all that is going on in the world this is what occupies your thoughts?

This is Pedants' Corner. It is what this forum is for. I am quite sure anyone whose thoughts are occupied with the aitch/haitch issue have other thoughts, on other fora. But this particular forum is for pedantry. <sigh>

As my name starts with an aitch I get called Aitch a lot. Why is it that if your name starts with any letter except H you get called by your name but us Aitches get called by our initial all the time!

My children were taught aitch for H in early primary school years, then about P4 time my eldest had a teacher who pronounced it haitch and it’s stuck with him.

Does my head in too. And people saying draws for drawers. But I definitely am pedantic. My father in law used to say "Hegs and arm" for eggs and ham. That did my head in too!

FLUFF, as was said before, this is pedants corner, and this is what we talk about.

If you want to discuss terrible things in the world, it will be on a different thread.

Children do learn the phonetic alphabet first now. and its A (as in apple) not Ah and B (as in bed) not bay. Can't be bothered to do the rest. But possibly why h becomes haitch. Can't see it matters really.
I always like the cockney alphabet
A for 'Orses (Hay for Horses)
B for Mutton (Beef or Mutton)
C for Miles (See for Miles)
D for Ential (Differential)
E for Brick (Heave a Brick)
F for Vessence (Effervescence)
G for Get It (Gee, forget it!)
H for Retirement (Age for Retirement)
I for The Engine (Ivor the Engine)
J for Oranges (Jaffa Oranges)
K for Restaurant (Cafe or Restaurant)
L for Leather (Hell for Leather)
M for Sis (Emphasis)
N for Lope (Envelope)
O for The Garden Wall (Over the Garden Wall)
P for Relief (How do you spell relief)
Q for a Bus (Queue for a Bus)
R for Mo (Half a Moment)
S for As You Go (As Far As You Go)
T for Two (Tea for Two)
U for Me (You for Me)
V for La France (Vive la France)
W for the Winnings (Double you for the Winnings)
X for Breakfast (Eggs for Breakfast)
Y for Husband (Wife or Husband)
Z for Wind (Zephyr Wind)

Seriously, with all that is going on in the world this is what occupies your thoughts?

It’s poor teaching.
When good teachers correct this, the ‘haitch’ disappears.

It annoys me too. When we learnt foreign languages the alphabet was always written out phonetically. I still remember chanting Ah, Bay, Say, Day, Eu, Eff in French, but we never see the English alphabet written like that in school so few people have seen Aitch as it is spelt, so how would they know. The use of ‘an’ and a silent h in words has almost vanished from our language too.

Just having a go at my ABCs, and because H is just after G and tends to roll onto it, I now don't know how I do it without prompting!!!!! If it's regional, then fair do's. Are you planning to start a Pedants' Revolt?

Oh Trisha I so agree! Every time I hear it I cringe and it seems to be spreading everywhere, even BBC presenters are sometimes guilty.
Hate it.

The mis-pronunciation of the letter aitch annoys me too but after one prolonged discussion (argument) I looked it up in the Oxford Dictionary to prove my point. Sadly, haitch is given as an alternative spelling and pronunciation so now I have to grit my teeth and shut up!

LOL in my part of NE, it isn't ahahah (NE is the official short form for the town and Canton of Neuchâtel - Newcastle to you and me).

Sodapop- of course. But fair enough for me to say I don't get how such things can 'enrage' people, in the world we currently live.

I suppose it's because most letter names do contain the letter, and a 'sound' of the letter they're naming. 'Aitch' doesn't really do that (the 'h' in the 'ch' has no 'h' sound related function) So, people, quite logically, pop in a 'h' sound..

Where did the name 'aitch' come from? Does anyone on here know?

I have to say it annoys me to death, too. My DD says it because it's commonly used in our part of the NE and common usage overrides that of her southern born parents. As she's well into her 30s I don't think I've any chance of stopping her now ?

I think it is an English quirk Marydoll. English folk who have been corrected because they did not pronounce the "h" at the beginning of words, e.g. saying "orse" rather than "horse", then start saying "haitch". Scots folk tend to pronounce words as they spell them.

It annoys me too, as the spelling of the letter name H is aitch.

You don't hear it as much in Scotland, but as a teacher, I noticed children were picking up this WRONG pronunciation from watching television.

I have to admit to being an evangelical pedant!

Is it regional does anyone know?

That's what Pedants' Corner is for surely jura2 so we can rage about these things.