/h/ deletion

The deletion of /h/ in initial position is frequent in all English dialects, especially in normal conversational speech in words that receive little or no stress. For the pronouns his, her, him, or hers, for instance, the deletion of /h/ is commonplace. However, when /h/ is deleted in initial position in stressed words, it is frequently remarked upon. There are two indications that the widespread deletion of /h/ is probably linked to a former period in AusE. The first is an indication that /h/ deletion and /h/ insertion at one time worked hand-in-hand; a number of people remember that it used to be true that someone riding on a train might “drop their aitch in ’aberfield and pick it up again in Hashfield”. The saying is no longer so well known nor is the linguistic practice. The other bit of nostalgia is an advertisement that was popular on television until the company disappeared; a variety of scenarios were shown, all of which concluded with an old man, obviously working class, recommending that the listeners go for their building requirements to “’udson’s, ’udson’s with a haitch”.

Horvath’s study of /h/ found no /h/ insertion and the rate of /h/ deletion was low. However, the distribution of /h/ deletion was clearly at the Broad AusE end of the dialect continuum and occurred infrequently in Cultivated AusE. It was also more likely to be heard by men than women.