The Consonantal Divide, 4

       The letter “h” is a strange consonant.   No, it isn’t a semi-vowel like "w" or "y," but it isn’t much of a consonant either.  "H" can be silent ("honor," "oh"), but when it has sound, it is only that of the breath moving through partially closed vocal cords.  In fact, it is the sound of panting.  Give it a try:  [h] [h] [h].

       Alexander Pope has a line of poetry describing Sisyphus pushing a boulder up a mountain:

                    "Up a high hill he heaves a huge round stone"

If you have any breath left after saying that line, you're probably an athlete.  Pope creates exertion within the line by including all those panting [h] sounds.

       It takes a lot of effort to say [h] because the only sound of this consonant is breath !