Re: A Tor Typo

[Paul Syverson <syverson@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

After one exchange offlist, I am sending this response to ortalk
in case whoever wrote the warning comment wants an authoritative
response for future reference or if someone wants to observe the truly
compulsive in action.

On Wed, Sep 19, 2007 at 11:53:02PM -0500, Scott Bennett wrote:
>      On Wed, 19 Sep 2007 23:06:40 -0400 Paul Syverson
> <syverson@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
> 
> >I'm responding only to those who already participated in this thread
> >because, as has been noted, we're way off topic.
> >
> >On Wed, Sep 19, 2007 at 05:08:47PM -0500, Scott Bennett wrote:
> >>      On Wed, 19 Sep 2007 21:33:56 +0100 Dave Page <grimoire@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
> >> wrote:
> >> >On Sun, Sep 16, 2007 at 02:11:56PM -0700, Andrew Del Vecchio wrote:
> >> >
> >> >> Color me an anal-retentive English language nazi, but the phrase "Tor
> >> >> is not an HTTP proxy..." that appears when you try to run a web
> >> >> browser or other program via HTTP should read: "Tor is not a HTTP
> >> >> proxy". Correct English grammar dictates that it's the first LETTER in
> >> >> a word that matters, not the first SOUND. In HTTP, the article should
> >> >> thus be "a" and not "an".
> >> 
> >>      Actually, for English of the non-British variety (see below), that
> >> isn't quite correct either.
> >> >
> >> >Colour me an anally-retentive English language Nazi of the British
> >>                     ^ (adverb should not be hyphenated onto adjective --SB:-)
> >> >variety, but even if it is the first letter in a word that matters, then
> >> >the correct article is still "an", in the style of "an hotel" and all
> >> >other words that begin with the letter "h".
> >> >
> >>      Yes, that seems right for British English.  However, for English of
> >> the non-British variety, it is indeed sound-dependent, but upon the sound
> >> of the word for which the letter stands (e.g., "an hour", but "a hotel"),
> >> not the sound of the name of the letter itself.  Thus, for non-British
> >> English, the text that reads, "Tor is not a HTTP proxy" is written
> >> correctly, but incorrectly for British English, as Dave Page noted above.
> >>      None of this is really pertinent to tor matters, of course. :-)
> >> 
> >
> >Err, close but no cigar. You are indeed correct wrt "a hotel", but not
> >wrt "a HTTP proxy". As you noted, it is the sound that matters (at
> >least for American English), and (in American English) 'hotel' is
> >pronounced as starting with a consonant. Since 'HTTP' is pronounced
> >aitch-tee-tee-pee, rather than h-t-t-t-p (imagine a lingua-alveolar
> >unvoiced fricative as the middle sound), it begins with a vowel
> >sound. The correct article is thus 'an'.
> >
>      I'm sorry, but I'm going to have to ask you to support that claim.
> Every English teacher I've asked about it in the U.S. has told me that that
> is incorrect and that the way I stated it above is, in fact, the correct
> method.  Thus, "I have a M.S. degree in atmospheric sciences" because "Master
> of Science" begins with a consonant sound, not a vowel sound.

Here, in its entirety, is the first entry in _A Dictionary of Modern
English Usage_ by H.W. Fowler (Second edition revised by Sir Ernest
Gowers), Oxford University Press, 1965.

   _A_ is used before all consonants except silent h (a _history_, and
   _hour_); _an_ was formerly usual before an unaccented syllable
   beginning with h andi sis still often seen and heard (_an
   historian, an hotel, an hysterical scene, an hereditary title, an
   habitual offender_). But now that the h in such words is pronounced
   the distinction has become anomalous and will no doubt disappear in
   time. Meantime speakers who like to say _an_ should not try to have
   it both ways by aspiring the h. _A_ is now usual also before vowel
   letters that in pronunciation are preceded by a consonantal sound
   (_a unit, a eulogy, a one_). Before letters standing for
   abbreviations or symbols the choice is determenined by sound of the
   letter, not of the word it represents, e.g. _an R.A., an M.P.; but
   that is the sort of thing about which we ought to be allowed to do
   as we please, so long as we are consistent.

This a British text, but has discussions of American and British
English and pays a decent respect to both.  _The Elements of Style_
had nothing on the issue. My copy of the _Harbrace College Handbook_
has an entry on a vs. an, but is annoyingly silent on what to do
before letters standing for abbreviations.  The same was true of the
two editions of _The Chicago Manual of Style_ I consulted.  If one
wants a reglur 'mercun authority, however, what could beat the _United
States Government Printing Office Style Manual_, 1984?  On page 71 it
says

  When a group of initials begins with _a, e, f, h, i, l, m, n, o, r,
  s, or x_, each having a vowel sound, the indefinite article _an_ is
  used. 

  an AEC report                         an NSC (en) proclamation
  an FCC (ef) ruling                    an RFC (ahr) loan

After consulting these physical references I signed up for a free
thirty day trial of the _The Chicago Manual of Style Online_, 15th
Edition, which does have an entry that specifically addresses the
issue, viz, 15.9. It agrees with my original post, as well as Fowler,
and the U.S. Government Printing Office. The terms of usage for my
trial subscription preclude posting content outside of my
organization, however; thus you will need to trust me on that one.

So, no need for our two great peoples to be divided by a common
language on this point.  Usage evolves, and I believe the flexibility
expressed in last line of the entry from Fowler to now be
dated. Nonetheless, its sentiment is most important. I'm going with
Fowler, Sir Ernest, _and_ the U.S. of A.

aloha,
Paul