aspirated h

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 aspirated h remains pronounced dialectally and in Norman French.

• IPA^(key): /ˈæspəɹeɪ̯tɪd eɪ̯tʃ/

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.

   Synonyms: Germanic h, h aspiré (French)

   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

• mute h
• silent h
• unaspirated h

• apartheids, hit parades