aspirated h

English

Etymology

Calque of French h aspiré. The aspirated h was pronounced /h/ until Early Modern French (and still is in some northern dialects), whereas the mute h had long been silent. The designation has been maintained although both kinds of h are now technically silent in standard French, but the Germanic h remains pronounced dialectally and in Norman French.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈæspəɹeɪ̯tɪd eɪ̯tʃ/

Noun

aspirated h

1. (French phonology) In the French language, usage of the letter h at the start of a word which does not allow liaison with a preceding consonant or elision of a preceding schwa.

   Synonym: h aspiré

   The French word héros ("hero") begins with an aspirated h. Consequently we say le héros /lə e.ʁo/ and les héros /le e.ʁo/, but never /l‿e.ʁo/ and /le‿ze.ʁo/ as we do with the mute h.

2. (linguistics, phonetics, literally) aspiration of a glottal consonant

Synonyms

• Germanic h

Antonyms

• mute h
• silent h
• unaspirated h

Translations

in the French language usage of the letter h at the start of a word which does not allow liaison with a preceding consonant

• Catalan: h aspirada (ca) f
• French: h aspiré (fr) m
• Italian: h aspirata f
• Japanese: 有音のh (yūon no asshu)
• Portuguese: h aspirado m
• Russian: придыха́тельное аш n (pridyxátelʹnoje aš)
• Spanish: h aspirada f, hache aspirada f

Anagrams

• apartheids, hit parades