As a super minor grammar point for the author, "ubiquitous" is a rare example of a word that starts with a vowel but should be proceeded by "a" instead of "an".
I think that's got to be a great test for foreign spies!
"ubiquitous" starts with the sound of "you-biquitous" and so the suffix -n is a duplicated non-vowel. ("y" is probably a vocalic glide, but still not in {a,e,i,o,u}.)
I bet the real rule is some reality about feasibility of pronunciation, even though native english speakers see the rules explained in terms of spellings.
> I bet the real rule is some reality about feasibility of pronunciation, even though native english speakers see the rules explained in terms of spellings.
The rule as often given in English classes is to use "an" if a word starts with a "vowel sound", rather than starting with a vowel. So, it's "an herb" (since the 'h' is silent in (American) English), but "a ubiquitous".
Relatedly, you can infer whether someone likely pronounces "URL" by spelling it out (like "you are ell") or as a word (like "earl") based on whether they write "a URL" or "an URL".
> I bet the real rule is some reality about feasibility of pronunciation
YUP! Sorry I don't have a good citation handy, but lots of English grammar happens as a result of misaligned word boundaries. "napron" (from the French naperon) became "an apron". Orange (from the Arabic naranj)... "an ewt" became "a newt". etc.
jjtheblunt|2 years ago
"ubiquitous" starts with the sound of "you-biquitous" and so the suffix -n is a duplicated non-vowel. ("y" is probably a vocalic glide, but still not in {a,e,i,o,u}.)
I bet the real rule is some reality about feasibility of pronunciation, even though native english speakers see the rules explained in terms of spellings.
JoshTriplett|2 years ago
The rule as often given in English classes is to use "an" if a word starts with a "vowel sound", rather than starting with a vowel. So, it's "an herb" (since the 'h' is silent in (American) English), but "a ubiquitous".
Relatedly, you can infer whether someone likely pronounces "URL" by spelling it out (like "you are ell") or as a word (like "earl") based on whether they write "a URL" or "an URL".
loxias|2 years ago
YUP! Sorry I don't have a good citation handy, but lots of English grammar happens as a result of misaligned word boundaries. "napron" (from the French naperon) became "an apron". Orange (from the Arabic naranj)... "an ewt" became "a newt". etc.
taneq|2 years ago
tomrod|2 years ago
ithkuil|2 years ago
A urinal
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