Where does this idea come from that we use "an" rather than "a" before an unstressed syllable (beginning with /j/?) I don't think I've heard of it before, even from those old-fashioned types who would have us use "an" before unstressed syllables beginning with /h/. Still less seen or heard it in contemporary English. W. P. Uzer (talk) 19:54, 3 January 2015 (UTC)
- @W. P. Uzer: As you probably noticed from this user's other contributions, their edits consist almost solely of arguing for grammatical and syntactical constructions, including some that were typical of pre-Modern English. You're quite right in thinking that inserting such an article is absurd and outmoded; while once the standard, its usage is virtually nil in both modern American and British English. I have to applaud the editor for attempting to revive linguistic constructions that haven't realistically been used in well over a century, but it certainly isn't in accord with our Manual of Style. Quinto Simmaco (talk) 05:23, 28 May 2015 (UTC)