The amazing template which does nothing

[Chris via Digitalmars-d]

On Tuesday, 28 April 2015 at 22:29:40 UTC, Steven Schveighoffer 
wrote:
> On 4/28/15 6:00 PM, Vladimir Panteleev wrote:
>> On Tuesday, 28 April 2015 at 21:42:04 UTC, Steven 
>> Schveighoffer wrote:
>>> On 4/27/15 10:36 PM, Vladimir Panteleev wrote:
>>>> http://blog.thecybershadow.net/2015/04/28/the-amazing-template-which-does-nothing/
>>>>
>>>>
>>>
>>> Very cool.
>>>
>>> Just a grammar nit, "an UFCS" should be "a UFCS".
>>
>> Fixed, thanks. (I always found this rule counter-intuitive... 
>> "u" is a
>> vowel dangit!)
>
> And in most cases, 'an' is correct. It's only when it makes a 
> "you" sound (and if you spell out your acronyms, 'U' does), 
> when you want to use 'a' :)
>
> an upsetting rule ('uh')
> an uber-cool language ('oo')
> a unique grammar problem ('you')
>
> -Steve

Yeah, because the sound in `you` or the letter <u> is not a full 
vowel but a semi-vowel /j/ (cf. German `ja`), also: a "voiced 
palatal approximant":

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palatal_approximant

Whenever a phonetic /u(:)/ becomes a /ju(:)/ (for whatever 
reason), rules for vowels no longer apply, simply because it is 
(phonetically speaking) no longer vowel, e.g. an + V => a + /j/. 
Cf

a utilitarian point of view (*an utilitarian) /juː/

The spelling rule upsets you, because there is a mismatch between 
what you see on the page and how you pronounce it (vowel vs. 
consonant/semi-vowel). It also works the other way around:

- an STL expert
- a PhD student

<s> describes a consonant but is pronounced with a vowel here 
/es/. Thus, you have to write `an`.

Just follow your natural way of speaking and you'll be fine. Read 
it out to yourself. And let's be honest, it sounds really crap 
when you read "an UFCS", bahhh!