Opinion: Non-genuine article makes reader sic
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Reader BEVERLY DELOTT writes:
I don’t know which is more disheartening for those of us who hate bad grammar: 1. The fact that Nancy Pelosi -- whose title, ironically enough, is now ‘Speaker,’ spoke incorrectly at her installation when she said ‘It’s an historic moment for the women of America,’ (emphasis added) or 2. That the so-called editors of the Times quoted that phrase in their headline on P. A10 without inserting ‘(sic)’ after the word ‘an.’ C’mon guys. Would you say that the women of America are taking an history class?
I can’t speak for the L.A. Times as an institution, but personally I wouldn’t say anybody was taking an history class. That’s because I put the emphasis on the first syllable of that word and fully aspirate the h: history. In the word ‘historic,’ on the other hand, I put the emphasis on the second syllable and may or may not fully aspirate the h: historic. So I’d say there’s a case to be made that an is the suitable article before historic, but I thank Beverly for writing.