the nodding donkey:
Franglais:
UKtramp:
the nodding donkey:
- I hope I don’t have to explain this one…
** Really? Are you taking the Mickey now?
As for the rest, I’m not going to try and point out the grammatical errors and convoluted sentence structures. Did you write this in a hurry? And after imbibing drink?
Yes wrote in a hurry and stringing sentences quickly so as not to be too long an explanation. **Afraid so, it is true.
Did you two sort out your spat about a/an regards a major German truck maker?
Can I too join in as an associate member of TNUKs Pedants Corner?
“The MAN acronym originally stood for Maschinenfabrik Augsburg-Nürnberg AG pronounced [maˈʃiːnənfaˈbʁiːk ˈʔaʊ̯ksbʊʁk ˈnʏʁnbɛʁk] or [-faˈbʁɪk-]), formerly MAN AG.” (wikipedia)
If pronounced as the individual letters “M.A.N.” the initial “M” would sound as “emm”, so would be prefixed with “an”.
If pronounced as “Man” then “a” would be more correct.
Given there is little scope for ambiguity, and the words are written rather then spoken, I think more than 3 or 4 hours debating this subject may be excessive.
Yes, I do pronounce it M.A.N., hence the prefix ‘an’. Just like B.M.W. or E.R.F. But he knew that. It is funny though, because Daf is pronounced as a word, rather than individual letters, even though it is a similar abbreviation.
MAN and DAF can be pronounced as words, - so they are. You cannot really pronounce BMW though, and “Bayerische Motoren Werk” sounds too much like a car factory started up by the Nazis for it to be spelled out in full. Shall we just stick with “Break My Windows” and be done with it then? 
