What are the rules for use of the word "an" before a word that starts with h, as in "an historical event"?

Question

Bless you, Bruhaha. I appreciate that some folks take the time to be sure their answer is correct before posting.

Answer 1

The GENERAL rule is that "an" is used before words in which the first SOUND (not letter) is a vowel sound. But even in dialects which pronounce the opening "h", it may be considered permissible to use "an" before "historic(al)" There are good historical and phonological reasons for this.

BASIC explanation why "an" may appear before a word beginning with /h/:

1) the initial /h/ IS not pronounced (so that the first sound spoken is a vowel sound):
*generally in "hours" hono(u)r"
*American English - "herb"
*some dialects "humble", "hotel"

2) history - that is, the /h/ USED to be silent:
there are a number of words whose initial /h/ was originally not pronounced, esp. those derived from (Old) French, which did not pronounce it (sometimes did not even spell it)
Some of these (examples listed in #1) STILL do not pronounce the /h/ in many or all English dialects. Others that have added a pronounced /h/ may still be treated as if they did not have it -- 'historic(al)' is perhaps the best example of this

BUT this is not enough -- those who say "an historic(al) event" (pronouncing the /h/) ALSO usually say "a history"!
So, there's one other very important factor, which is:

3) The syllable starting with /h/ LACKS an ACCENT
--Specifically, if the SECOND syllable is accented, the initial /h/ is WEAKER, perhaps only very slightly pronounced (It seems especially weak if the following vowel is formed in the front of the mouth -- a, i, e (as opposed to vowels made further back -- o, u)

So, if the first syllable HAS an accent (especially the MAIN accent of the word) it is preceded by "a" --thus we say "A HISTORY" (unless, of course, you're Cockney)

To get the sense of how this works, just try saying the word "historic" all by itself. You may notice that you scarcely pronounce the /h/. Even if you do, it may feel like it takes extra energy do so (whereas when you say "history" the 'energy' is already supplied by accenting the syllable)

[Some have said 'accented' or 'unaccented', but this is not quite correct. When the SECOND syllable is accented, the first syllable has the LEAST accent; if a LATER syllable has the primary accent the first syllable may still have a SECONDARY accent, and the 'rule' just described does not apply. Examples: 'hospitality' 'hippopotamus']

In fact, in expressions like "an historic..." many find that the inclusion of the /n/ can actually make the words easier to pronounce (though in that case the /h/ is usually only VERY slightly pronounced).

Other examples where "an" may be found (all of which have an accent on the second syllable): "an hereditary title" [vs. "a HERitage], "an habitual liar" [vs. "a HA-bit"], cf. "an hysterical child"

Now if you were to try some of these expressions in a search engine you would likely find that "an historic" and "an historical" are much more common (in proportion to "a historic" "a historical") than these other examples. That leads to the FINAL(?) factor that affects pronunciation.

4) HABIT! That is, we're USED to hearing it that way, and so it just seems right, even if it does not follow the "rules" we may generally us for such cases.

Thus, the reason 'historic' and 'historical' are far more likely to be preceded by "an" than other words that might "qualify" is that they are more COMMON words or expressions. People are used to hearing them this way. This is hardly unusual. In any language the LESS common a word is in everyday speech the MORE likely it is speakers apply the "general rules" to that word. Thus, irregular verbs in a language [forms of to be, come, go, sit, etc.] are COMMON words.

Answer 2

That is an idiotic trend. The rule is to put the an in front of a true vowel. If you drop your aitches, then put the an in front of historical.

Answer 3

an is used instead of a if its before a word starting with a vowel like an indian

Answer 4

"An" should be used only before words starting with vowels "a,e,i,o,u"
an apple
an eagle
an insult
an overview
an umbrella

Answer 5

you dont put 'an' before history. that's only when the 'h' is silent.