Editing H-dropping (section)

{{Short description|Process of not pronouncing an "h" sound}}
{{DISPLAYTITLE:''H''-dropping}}
{{IPA notice}}

'''''H''-dropping''' or '''aitch-dropping''' is the [[elision|deletion]] of the [[voiceless glottal fricative]] or "''H''-sound", {{IPA|[h]}}. The phenomenon is common in many [[dialect]]s of [[English language|English]], and is also found in certain other languages, either as a purely historical development or as a contemporary difference between dialects. Although common in most regions of [[England]] and in some other English-speaking countries, and linguistically speaking a neutral evolution in languages, H-dropping is often [[social stigma|stigmatized]] as a sign of careless or uneducated speech, due to its strong association with the lower class.

The reverse phenomenon, '''''H''-insertion''' or '''''H''-adding''', is found in certain situations, sometimes as an [[allophone]] or  [[hypercorrection]] by H-dropping speakers, and sometimes as a [[spelling pronunciation]] or out of perceived [[etymological]] correctness. A particular example of this is the spread of 'haitch' for '[[wikt:aitch|aitch]]'.