Re: 'a historian' or 'an historian'?

Paul schrieb:
> Please see a quote from Noel below:
> 
> "Many English people use 'an' before some words beginning with 'h',
> but my experience is that this only occurs (apart from the cases
> where the 'h' is mute anyway) when the first syllable is not
> accented. Thus 'a history' but 'an historian'.
> 
> Is this true that since the initial syllable is unaccented 'an' should
> precede 'historian' and since it is accented, 'a' should precede
> 'history' ?
> 
> Is this the norm in R.P too?
> 
I don't think so - it may be a generational thing. As I've already said, 
the pronunciation of the "h" is relatively recent and the phenomenon 
being described is probably a remnant of the old pronunciation or even a 
hyper-correction.

Regards, Einde O'Callaghan