In this document, it says:
An LTI (Linear, Time-Invariant) system, in a simplified sense, will exhibit two behaviors
Can someone explain why the use of "An" instead "a" is correct here?
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1Say the letter "L"; do you say a "L", or an "L"?– Cascabel_StandWithUkraine_Commented Mar 13, 2017 at 22:45
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1Must be a duplicate...– DrewCommented Mar 13, 2017 at 23:11
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2 Answers
The "a" v. "an" distinction is phonetically based. If you say L T I, when you pronounce the letter L is pronounced "el" (as in the proper name "Eleanor") which starts with a vowel.
If the acronym had been dispensed with, you would have used "A" instead.
answered Mar 13, 2017 at 22:49
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Yeah, it's the sound that is significant, not the graphic symbol. Commented Mar 13, 2017 at 22:51
Fowler says that it's a question of pronunciation. "Before letters standing for abbreviations or symbols the choice is usually determined by the sound of the letter, e.g. an R.A., an M. P." And I like how Fowler ends this line of thought: ". . . but that is the sort of thing about which we ought to be allowed to do as we please, so long as we are consistent." (H.W. Fowler, "A Dictionary of Modern English Usage," second edition, Oxford, 1965.)
