Editing H-dropping (section)

====Use and status of the H-sound in H-dropping dialects====
In fully H-dropping dialects, that is, in dialects without a phonemic {{IPA|/h/}}, the sound {{IPA|[h]}} may still occur but with uses other than distinguishing words. An [[epenthetic]] {{IPA|[h]}} may be used to avoid [[hiatus (linguistics)|hiatus]], so that for example ''the egg'' is pronounced ''the hegg''. It may also be used when any vowel-initial word is emphasized, so that ''horse'' {{IPA|/ˈɔːs/}} (assuming the dialect is also non-rhotic) and ''ass'' {{IPA|/ˈæs/}} may be pronounced {{IPA|[ˈˈhɔːs]}} and {{IPA|[ˈˈhæs]}} in emphatic utterances. That is, {{IPA|[h]}} has become an [[allophone]] of the [[zero onset]] in these dialects.

For many H-dropping speakers, however, a phonological {{IPA|/h/}} appears to be present, even if it is not usually realized – that is, they know which words "should" have an {{IPA|/h/}}, and have a greater tendency to pronounce an [h] in those words than in other words beginning with a vowel. Insertion of [h] may occur as a means of emphasis, as noted above, and also as a response to the formality of a situation.<ref>Wells (1982), p. 322.</ref> [[Sandhi]] phenomena may also indicate a speaker's awareness of the presence of an {{IPA|/h/}} – for example, some speakers might say "a edge" (rather than "an edge") for ''a hedge'', and might omit the [[linking R]] before an initial vowel resulting from a dropped H.

It is likely that the phonemic system of children in H-dropping areas lacks a /h/ entirely, but that social and educational pressures lead to the incorporation of an (inconsistently realized) /h/ into the system by the time of adulthood.<ref>Wells (1982), p. 254.</ref>