In his speeches, President Obama commonly pronounces the indefinite article “a” like the “a” in “may”. You can hear it in this speech. Most people, most of the time, pronounce it with the schwa. In that speech, I have also caught him pronounce “to” like “too” before a vowel, but with a schwa before a consonant.
Hilary Clinton pronounces “a” that way in speeches, too. Example.
They may not use this pronunciation mode in ordinary conversation. Is this a generational change or do they have the same speech teacher?
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WHAT IS THE CORRECT PRONUNCIATION OF THE INDEFINITE ARTICLE ”a” IS IT “u” OR “A” AS IN MAY
The Good Sisters of the IHM convinced me eons ago that A as in May is the name of the letter. The indefinite article is pronounced “ah”. Senator Kennedy never knew which was proper so he always said “ay ah” in that order. President Obama generally uses the “ay” sound even before a vowel.
I nave never heard him use the article “an”. It grates on me to hear phrases like “ay option” uttered. Thanks for your web site. I’m not alone!
Thanks, I hadn’t caught that about his using “a” instead of “an” before a vowel.
I want to make it clear that my post was not expressing disapproval of the way Obama and Clinton speak. It was intended as an observation on possible language change. Young people says things differently from what older people say. The older people groan and complain. Then they die, and the young people go on talking the same way.