tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24761391.post5888670857316757954..comments2023-10-26T22:06:11.166+11:00Comments on Metamagician3000: An hysterically stupid ChristmasRussell Blackfordhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12431324430596809958noreply@blogger.comBlogger20125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24761391.post-90100849713967996732011-01-04T13:11:46.768+11:002011-01-04T13:11:46.768+11:00Okay, Eamon - you're probably right. lolOkay, Eamon - you're probably right. lolRussell Blackfordhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12431324430596809958noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24761391.post-91766094667746246622011-01-04T12:21:24.468+11:002011-01-04T12:21:24.468+11:00Still, can we get back to the real topic? :)
But ...<i>Still, can we get back to the real topic? :)</i><br /><br />But we all agree already that Vernon is a twit. That being settled, it's much more fun to argue about arcane usage rules ;-).Eamon Knighthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04262012749524758120noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24761391.post-61364130838666285932011-01-04T11:28:38.753+11:002011-01-04T11:28:38.753+11:00Okay, okay, that may be right.
Personally, I'...Okay, okay, that may be right.<br /><br />Personally, I'd say "an historical novel" or "an historic event" because it's much easier to say quickly. I wonder whether trying to say "a historical novel" or "a historic event" (voicing the "h" on an unstressed syllable immediately after a vowel) isn't one of those misguided attempts to be "proper", like people who say "between you and I", rather than the more natural (and grammatically correct) "between you and me". <br /><br />Still, can we get back to the real topic? :)Russell Blackfordhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12431324430596809958noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24761391.post-79352616553841416332011-01-03T23:31:43.159+11:002011-01-03T23:31:43.159+11:00I would say that "an hysterical" (or equ...I would say that "an hysterical" (or equivalent) is unusual these days here in Britain. I consider myself to be a speaker of RP British English--born and bred in London, in a middle-class, educated family and attended a public school--and I for one would never say (or write) "an hysterical". It's still heard occasionally, but I would say mostly from people who have retained (or cultivated) a somewhat old-fashioned way of speaking.Richard Weinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18095903892283146064noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24761391.post-9932376767018149732011-01-03T16:18:41.733+11:002011-01-03T16:18:41.733+11:00This has drifted way off topic - besides as I unde...This has drifted way off topic - besides as I understand a Cockney accent, they are <i>more</i> likely to say "a" than "an" because Cockneys favour the glottal stop. It's more standard kinds of English that don't use this and would prefer to say "an" wherever it's easier.Russell Blackfordhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12431324430596809958noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24761391.post-53000782767874080592011-01-03T10:35:05.884+11:002011-01-03T10:35:05.884+11:00So you all 'ave cockney accents do you? That&#...So you all 'ave cockney accents do you? That's about the only explanation I can come up with...Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24761391.post-14830869489530505682011-01-02T18:49:41.888+11:002011-01-02T18:49:41.888+11:00And Vernon is British - it's hardly an exclusi...And Vernon is British - it's hardly an exclusively Australian thing.Russell Blackfordhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12431324430596809958noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24761391.post-37972242450337730192011-01-02T18:47:41.722+11:002011-01-02T18:47:41.722+11:00Most people don't voice the "h" if t...Most people don't voice the "h" if the accent falls on the second syllable. They do, indeed, say "isterical display", "istorical novel", etc. It's actually quite difficult to voice the "h" in a phrase like "a historical novel" or "a hysterical display".<br /><br />I assume that's the reason for the rule.Russell Blackfordhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12431324430596809958noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24761391.post-9934154120670210082011-01-02T18:43:47.574+11:002011-01-02T18:43:47.574+11:00Well I hate to continue a fairly pointless argumen...Well I hate to continue a fairly pointless argument, but I can't say I've ever noticed someone _not_ voicing the 'h' in such words. What strange little pocket of Australia do you live in with such an accent? :)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24761391.post-41053931998530470902011-01-02T16:52:27.827+11:002011-01-02T16:52:27.827+11:00'An' is used before a vowel sound, and las...'An' is used before a vowel sound, and last time I checked 'h' wasn't a vowel. Or do you pronounce it "issterical"? :)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24761391.post-48334180148139984722011-01-02T16:17:42.954+11:002011-01-02T16:17:42.954+11:00Yeah, fair enough. But I hereby give everyone perm...Yeah, fair enough. But I hereby give everyone permission not to try to voice the "h" in "hysterical" or "historical".Russell Blackfordhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12431324430596809958noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24761391.post-49099323006245587592011-01-02T14:19:24.127+11:002011-01-02T14:19:24.127+11:00'Nah, anon, it's "an hysterical"...'Nah, anon, it's "an hysterical". The accent falls on the second syllable in "hysterical", so it takes "an".'<br /><br />Alternatively, use 'a' before an 'h' if it's pronounced. So, use what you feel comfortable with.<br /><br />Kiwi DaveAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24761391.post-30467057010322139892011-01-02T13:26:24.104+11:002011-01-02T13:26:24.104+11:00Yeah, I've met him twice ... and he was very k...Yeah, I've met him twice ... and he was very kind and courteous on both occasions. The second time, he was indeed a bit distracted as he was in earnest conversation with Taslima Nasrin at the drinks table when I walked over to fill my glass. But immediately afterwards he went out of his way to approach me with a kind word.<br /><br />Dawkins comes across as a true gentleman in real life, and it shows in his writing as well.Russell Blackfordhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12431324430596809958noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24761391.post-91075419250184379992011-01-02T12:55:25.244+11:002011-01-02T12:55:25.244+11:00@ critter - "Hysterical" has its roots i...@ critter - "Hysterical" has its roots in female irrationality related to the uterus, or the term does at any rate.<br /><br />The critique of Dawkins being spittle-flecked and hysterical about any subject is a hyberbolic meme (ironic, eh?) regarding Dawkins. People don't like his clarity when it comes to religious criticism, and so they imbue him with outrageous traits. People have called him rude, trenchant and simply nasty when I have found him to be either very polite and engaging when I have met him, or distracted (to be fair I was asking for his autograph while he was on a cell phone call.)Mike Haubrich, FCDhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07220070898785894481noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24761391.post-25859048885652374922011-01-02T12:53:27.173+11:002011-01-02T12:53:27.173+11:00Vernon's post seemed more cynical and depressi...Vernon's post seemed more cynical and depressing than anything else. I couldn't tell if it was just rhetoric or not, but there was also this current of "any Christmas is a bad Christmas" running through it, which is just silly. I'm an atheist, and much like Tim Minchin, I really like Christmas...Jambehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06373677455129413039noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24761391.post-10541946812293224872011-01-02T12:21:41.664+11:002011-01-02T12:21:41.664+11:00Nah, anon, it's "an hysterical". The...<i>Nah, anon, it's "an hysterical". The accent falls on the second syllable in "hysterical", so it takes "an".</i><br /><br />Oh gods, Russell: the useful things I learn reading your blog ;-)!Eamon Knighthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04262012749524758120noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24761391.post-11990629053251521462011-01-02T11:48:13.963+11:002011-01-02T11:48:13.963+11:00Nah, anon, it's "an hysterical". The...Nah, anon, it's "an hysterical". The accent falls on the second syllable in "hysterical", so it takes "an".<br /><br />It's "a history of Germany" but "an historical novel".Russell Blackfordhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12431324430596809958noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24761391.post-4196488322588183312011-01-02T11:21:01.463+11:002011-01-02T11:21:01.463+11:00He can't. I'm used by now to his turgid wa...He can't. I'm used by now to his turgid wafflings in the Guardian.<br /><br />What annoyed me more about his piece was the way he bemoans the fact that Christmas means nothing to the wider world - why should it? Pagan rituals observing the winter solstice presumably went on long before Christianity ever took a foothold in the Western world. Even if the ideal of Christmas never existed, there would be a need for some kind of communal celebration around this time of year, or at least it would be desirable for something along those lines to occur. It just so happens that the early Christians managed to jump on the winter festival bandwagon, and get their meme established.<br /><br />Do they know it's Christmas time at all? Probably not, and it's not particularly important anyway.Supertechttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07040870818691415764noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24761391.post-47767524467463751272011-01-02T11:20:33.919+11:002011-01-02T11:20:33.919+11:00Isn't the term "hysterical" some sor...Isn't the term "hysterical" some sort of accusation of femininity?critterhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14331359234846241164noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24761391.post-10230855397961551642011-01-02T11:14:16.257+11:002011-01-02T11:14:16.257+11:00It should be "a hysterical" anyway.It should be "a hysterical" anyway.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com