APPENDIX.

[To the kindness of Professor Skeat of Cambridge I am indebted for the following compend, wherein the scientific grounds upon which a theoretical rule for the silent H might be constructed, are perspicuously exposed, while a practical view of the case is also taken. A list of words with doubtful H’s was submitted to Professor Skeat, and the comments of this foremost of British etymologists are a reply to the question: What reasons can be found for the silencing of the H’s?]

Of course the etymology has much to do with it, so has accent, so has rapidity of speech, so have individual notions.

(1.) Etymology.

There are four principal H’s—English, French, Latin, and Greek.

As a rule, pronounce all but the French; and, of these, all but some words of Latin origin.

Examples. English—HILL, HOG, (though this is properly Welsh), HUNT. The h should never be omitted, being an original aspirate of great strength.

French—herb, hospital, hostler, &c. By rule, 83the h should be silent; but the word herb, in particular, has become so completely Anglicised that to hear an h in it is common. So also habit, haughty, hearse, human; habit and human being counted as Latin.

The H was sometimes omitted in the fourteenth century.

“As wrtis [wortis] of erbis soone thei shul falle doun.” Wycliffite version of Psalm xxxvii. 2, (earlier version).

“Thei schulen falle doun soone as the wortis of eerbis.” Wycliffite version of Psalm xxxvii. 2, (later version).

But French words from Frankish, not Latin sources, take h, as hamlet, halbert, harass, hatchet; together with proper names, as Henry, Hubert. So also harness, a French word, but not of Latin origin.

Latin—The h is commonly sounded, as horrid. But honorary and honorarium follow the French word honour, and commonly omit h.

Greek—The h is important, as in history, hexagon, and should be sounded.

(2.) Accent.

Accent often drowns the h. Thus history takes h, but historical is usually istorical. To find this out, do not go by what people say they say (which is one thing), but by what you hear them say, which is a very different matter. Compare 84hebdomadal, hallucination, hereditary, hiatus, histrionical, hippopotamus, hexameter, hieroglyphic, histology, horizon, hidalgo, homœopathy, horticulturist; in all these, the h is very weak.

(3.) Rapidity.

Very common English words, as have, here, has, him, her, his, are pronounced ’ave, ’ere, in rapid speech. This will be denied stoutly by many who do so every day of their lives, especially in particular combinations. Much depends on the position of the word or the accent.

Ex. Did you see ’im go?

Answer. I saw him, but not her.

It is always dropped, at the present day, in the old word hem (Chaucer), meaning them. Ex. I saw ’em go.

(4.) Individual Notions.

Particular people have particular opinions (frequently wrong ones) as to how words should be pronounced.

I think if you exercise your ear carefully, you will find it a better guide than written statements.

TRANSCRIBER’S NOTES

Silently corrected obvious typographical errors and variations in spelling.

Retained archaic, non-standard, and uncertain spellings as printed.

Re-indexed footnotes using numbers and collected together at the end of the last chapter.