[Grammar] Pronunciation of the indefinite article A

[MAPG]

Hi, everybody

I´d like to know which is the correct pronunciation of the indefinite article A, sometimes is pronounced like the letter A( ei) and I´ve also heard it being pronounced like the shwa sound. Are both O.K? Is there any difference?

Thanks in advance

Moisés

 

[GoesStation]

It's a schwa. When have you heard it pronounced like the name of the letter A?

 

[andrewg927]

I just heard it yesterday "he is A OK."

 

[MAPG]

I´ve heard it on the radio (KLZ 560), even I heard Obama using it with the sound of the letter A ( President Obama Remembers ‘Biggest Disappointment’ As President | NBC News) in this interview at 1:43 sec, when he says a member of.. also on movies,videos,etc.
On the cambridge dictionary says:weak /ə/ , strong /eɪ/
When is it used like a weak sound and when like a strong sound?
Thanks again for your quick reply.

 

[Skrej]

You'll hear it both ways, and both are equally acceptable. I'm not aware of any rules, it's more of just an individual preference. I find myself using both.

However, the schwa probably occurs more in rapid speech.

 

[Rover_KE]

I just heard it yesterday "He is A OK."

In the expression A-OK, the A is not the indefinite article.

***

mpucheg,

We often use a long A to mean one of the.

'Is your son the manager of the hotel?'

'No - he is A manager: three of them share the responsibility.'

You'll also hear it when a speaker pauses to recall the right word.

'This is what I call A [pause for thought] travesty of justice'.

 

[andrewg927]

I always think of it as an article otherwise the "A" wouldn't qualify for anything.

 

[Skrej]

If the 'a' were really an article, it'd have to follow the usual vowel phoneme precedence rule and thus be 'an okay'.

That plus we don't hyphenate articles.

Supposedly it originated in the 60's as astronaut slang for 'all systems okay', although I don't know if that's true or not.

 

[andrewg927]

Good point.

 

[MAPG]

You'll hear it both ways, and both are equally acceptable. I'm not aware of any rules, it's more of just an individual preference. I find myself using both.

However, the schwa probably occurs more in rapid speech.

Thanks a lot for your answer. It is really clear now.