Недавно увидел в названии одной книги такие слова "An Historical and Comparative
Study of Quaker Beliefs". И это сочетание - aN historical - было абсолютно новым
для меня. (речь идет об использовании неопределенного артикля перед словами,
начинающимися с согласного звука) Я не встречал такого рода исключений ни в одном
из учебников.
За разъяснениями я обратился к англоязычным экспертам. Вот выдержка из одного
ответа:
In times past there have been a few words beginning with 'h' which were preceded
by 'an', and 'historic' is a good example. I think perhaps 'humiliating' is
another. One still occasionally encounters this usage, but it is increasingly
dying out, and sounds affected to most English people. I think in any case
the 'an' was used mostly before an adjective. It would be quite impossible
to say 'an house', or 'an hill'. So I would say it is never incorrect to say
'a' when an indefinite article is required, but not incorrect in rare examples
to say 'an'. I think 99.99% of English people today would say 'A historical
study'.
Второй ответ:
"Anyone taught English grammer in Britain will know that we say "an
hotel" because it derives from the French word 'hotel' where the 'h' is
indeed silent. Fowler's Modern English Usage has it that " 'an' was
formerly usual before an unaccented syllable beginning with 'h', and is
still often seen or heard". American grade schools may well have taught
Mr Robinson to say "a hotel", but it would be wrong to say that "anyone
who writes it this way is defintely incorrect." Old fashinoned, perhaps,
but no worse than that!"
Короче говоря, для себя я сделал вывод - не воспринимать как ошибку "an hotel,
an historical, an humiliating" и т.п., но и не стараться использовать эти варианты,
т.к. это архаизмы.
Сергей
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