|
Post by mworrom on Mar 13, 2013 13:18:45 GMT
We're debating the sound of the letter L... some folks are telling me that you go with the first sound of the letter... I say go with the whole letter.
thoughts?
|
|
|
Post by Dave Miller on Mar 13, 2013 15:22:02 GMT
Hi there
(I'm not sure if I have understood your question, but ...)
The letter L, when written as a word, is "el", and it's pronounced "ell", to rhyme with "bell". If you want to speak of just one of them, then it's "an el".
So, if you refer to the company in full words, it's "a limited liability company". If you refer to just the initials, though, it's "an el el cee".
Similarly, it's: an MC an HMP an NGO an RSVP and so on.
|
|
|
Post by Sue M-V on Mar 13, 2013 15:30:06 GMT
Hi! I'm not sure what distinction you're making between "the first sound of the letter" and "the whole letter", unless by the former you mean that the pronunciation of it begins with a vowel sound, and by the latter, you mean the fact that it's a consonant by definition.
The only reason we have both "a" and "an" in English is for ease of pronunciation, unlike other languages where alternative articles actually indicate a difference. So the rule is: always choose the one that produces something easier to say.
Is it easier to say "A LLC" or "An LLC"? Since "L" is normally pronounced "ell", it has to be the later!
Don't be fooled by the vowel vs consonant thing that you learnt at school! It's the sound that matters. Compare "a union" and "an umbrella", or "an elephant" and "a euro" - it's not the letter as such, but how you say it that determines whether you say "a" or "an" before (hence "a man" but "an old man").
Sue
|
|
|
Post by Sue M-V on Mar 13, 2013 15:31:05 GMT
Sorry, Dave! Cross posting! You said it so much more succinctly!
Sue
|
|
|
Post by Tone on Mar 13, 2013 20:36:12 GMT
Agreed with both Dave and Sue. (So it's " an 'otel" for me! ) Tone
|
|
|
Post by hubertus on Mar 13, 2013 20:59:29 GMT
Where I come from it's also an 'ouse.
|
|
|
Post by Tone on Mar 14, 2013 20:59:26 GMT
>Where I come from it's also an 'ouse.<Is that a small long-tailed rodent? Tone
|
|