Results 1 to 10 of 10
  1. #1
    Player
    Catapult's Avatar
    Join Date
    Mar 2011
    Location
    Lotus Gardens
    Posts
    3,240
    Character
    Thal Icebound
    World
    Ravana
    Main Class
    Dancer Lv 100

    A Moogle Bouqet, struck down by the indefinite article.

    Rychyld teaches us that:
    The pearl clover blossoms you grew are very dear to the moogles. From them, they derive all manner of things─their favorite food, an herbal remedy, a musical instrument, their bedding. Some say they even use them to induce the visions and trances that fuel their magic.
    "H" is not a vowel, nor is it a silent letter.
    (0)

  2. #2
    Player

    Join Date
    Mar 2011
    Posts
    307
    Isnt the H silent in herbal?

    At least where I live we pronounce it with the H silent, such as ER-bull. I don't know anyone that says HERB-all. We could just be weird out here in Washington though. That being the case, an sounds correct to me and a does not.
    (2)

  3. #3
    Player
    Sav's Avatar
    Join Date
    Mar 2011
    Location
    Ul'dah
    Posts
    492
    Character
    Sav Alithos
    World
    Diabolos
    Main Class
    Gladiator Lv 70
    Herbal with an audible H is pretty common outside the US. Being an American, I would say "an herbal".
    (0)

  4. #4
    Player
    Catapult's Avatar
    Join Date
    Mar 2011
    Location
    Lotus Gardens
    Posts
    3,240
    Character
    Thal Icebound
    World
    Ravana
    Main Class
    Dancer Lv 100
    That's odd, because whenever I think of the concept of "an erbal" I think of a powerful French accent...

    Must be the Australian in me?

    Either way, Fernhawles or Eemeefu may need to play magistrate on this one.
    (0)

  5. #5
    Player
    Zuellni's Avatar
    Join Date
    Mar 2011
    Location
    Gridania
    Posts
    217
    Character
    Zuenini Zueni
    World
    Excalibur
    Main Class
    Arcanist Lv 90
    Whether you use the "a" or "an" article depends solely on whether you pronounce the "h" before the vowel. You'd use an for words like heir and hour for example. But in this case, there is a dialectal difference. I've heard proper British English pronounces the word herb with the "H" sound so they would grammatically use the article "a". However, in North America, it's commonly pronounced without the "H" sound as in "erb" so they would use the article "an" as in "an herb". So it's safe to say that Rychyl is one of the fellows that speaks about his herbs without the H's.
    (0)

  6. #6
    Player
    Anonymoose's Avatar
    Join Date
    Mar 2011
    Location
    Limsa Lominsa
    Posts
    5,024
    Character
    Anony Moose
    World
    Excalibur
    Main Class
    Arcanist Lv 100
    {/says outloud} "Kind sire, I will have an herbal tea, and gysahl greens for my chocob-"

    Hm. I guess when you're not British there is an 'an' before it. This takes me back to Eddie Izzad.
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cs5H7cgcpkg
    (0)
    "I shall refrain from making any further wild claims until such time as I have evidence."
    – Y'shtola

  7. #7
    Dev Team
    Join Date
    Jul 2011
    Posts
    223
    Quote Originally Posted by Catapult View Post
    "H" is not a vowel, nor is it a silent letter.
    Aaactually... As a few other posters stated, both are accepted pronunciations. The word comes from the Old French erbe, and though the spelling was changed to reflect the Latin herbe in the 1600s, the h remained muted up until the 1800s. And now, while "erb" remains the primary pronunciation in American English and "herb" the secondary, the opposite is true in British English.

    Anyway, the "an" preceding "herbal" here is completely intentional, as the muted-h pronunciation is the one we've decided to go with in-game.

    How's that for a honest answer?
    (7)

  8. #8
    Player
    Viridiana's Avatar
    Join Date
    Mar 2011
    Posts
    3,481
    Character
    Aria Placida
    World
    Lamia
    Main Class
    Ninja Lv 88
    Quote Originally Posted by Eemeefu View Post
    Aaactually... As a few other posters stated, both are accepted pronunciations. The word come from the Old French erbe, and though the spelling was changed to reflect the Latin herbe in the 1600s, the h remained muted up until the 1800s. And now, while "erb" remains the primary pronunciation in American English and "herb" the secondary, the opposite is true in British English.

    Anyway, the "an" preceding "herbal" here is completely intentional, as the muted-h pronunciation is the one we've decided to go with in-game.

    How's that for a honest answer?
    Owww. . .

    /10chars
    (1)

  9. #9
    Player
    Catapult's Avatar
    Join Date
    Mar 2011
    Location
    Lotus Gardens
    Posts
    3,240
    Character
    Thal Icebound
    World
    Ravana
    Main Class
    Dancer Lv 100
    Quote Originally Posted by Eemeefu View Post
    Aaactually... As a few other posters stated, both are accepted pronunciations. The word come from the Old French erbe, and though the spelling was changed to reflect the Latin herbe in the 1600s, the h remained muted up until the 1800s. And now, while "erb" remains the primary pronunciation in American English and "herb" the secondary, the opposite is true in British English.

    Anyway, the "an" preceding "herbal" here is completely intentional, as the muted-h pronunciation is the one we've decided to go with in-game.

    How's that for a honest answer?
    A very good and complete one. I'll also be sure to inform my medieval re-enactment friends on the matter.

    /bow
    (0)

  10. #10
    Player
    Duuude007's Avatar
    Join Date
    Mar 2011
    Location
    Gridania
    Posts
    2,954
    Character
    Duuude Bismarck
    World
    Hyperion
    Main Class
    Armorer Lv 80
    I was going to say "an honorable" is another acceptable example... You're killing me, smalls.
    (1)