Neil Armstrong: “One small step for man” or “one small step for a man”?

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4
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Today on Facebook the Science Museum (London) posted:

#OTD in 1930 American astronaut and aeronautical engineer Neil Armstrong was born.

In July 1969, Armstrong and Apollo 11 pilot Buzz Aldrin performed the first manned Moon landing. When he stepped onto the lunar surface he famously said ''That's one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind.''

I though it was “one small step for a man”. That seems to make more sense.

Which is correct?

Clarification at mod request: please don’t answer with what you think the audio sounds like, because that’s a matter of opinion. There is professional audio analysis to cite (although a good answer would evaluate the strength, or not, of that evidence) as well as Armstrong’s reports of what he intended to say and what he believed he said.

quotes space-flight

share|improve this question

edited 9 hours ago

asked 15 hours ago

A E

3,85241940

• 
  
  
  

  
  7
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  It's unclear why this was closed as "opinion-based". Millions of people heard it, and volumes were written about it.
  – Daniel R Hicks
  13 hours ago
  

  
  
  
  


• 
  
  
  

  
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  @Daniel Yeah, there’s technical analysis of the audio, and Armstrong’s statements on what he said. If I were asking “What do people think they heard?”, that would be a matter of opinion, but I’m not asking that.
  – A E
  13 hours ago
  

  
  
  
  


• 
  
  
  

  
  3
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  @AE people were already answering with their own opinions so your question is being interpreted that way. Can you clarify it so to exclude personal opinion on the matter? Thanks
  – Sklivvz♦
  12 hours ago
  

  
  
  
  


• 
  
  
  

  
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  @Sklivvz Sure, done.
  – A E
  9 hours ago
  

  
  
  
  


• 
  
  
  

  
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  @AE thanks, reopened
  – Sklivvz♦
  6 hours ago
  

  
  
  
  

 | 
show 1 more comment

up vote
4
down vote

favorite

Today on Facebook the Science Museum (London) posted:

#OTD in 1930 American astronaut and aeronautical engineer Neil Armstrong was born.

In July 1969, Armstrong and Apollo 11 pilot Buzz Aldrin performed the first manned Moon landing. When he stepped onto the lunar surface he famously said ''That's one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind.''

I though it was “one small step for a man”. That seems to make more sense.

Which is correct?

Clarification at mod request: please don’t answer with what you think the audio sounds like, because that’s a matter of opinion. There is professional audio analysis to cite (although a good answer would evaluate the strength, or not, of that evidence) as well as Armstrong’s reports of what he intended to say and what he believed he said.

quotes space-flight

share|improve this question

edited 9 hours ago

asked 15 hours ago

A E

3,85241940

• 
  
  
  

  
  7
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  It's unclear why this was closed as "opinion-based". Millions of people heard it, and volumes were written about it.
  – Daniel R Hicks
  13 hours ago
  

  
  
  
  


• 
  
  
  

  
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  @Daniel Yeah, there’s technical analysis of the audio, and Armstrong’s statements on what he said. If I were asking “What do people think they heard?”, that would be a matter of opinion, but I’m not asking that.
  – A E
  13 hours ago
  

  
  
  
  


• 
  
  
  

  
  3
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  @AE people were already answering with their own opinions so your question is being interpreted that way. Can you clarify it so to exclude personal opinion on the matter? Thanks
  – Sklivvz♦
  12 hours ago
  

  
  
  
  


• 
  
  
  

  
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  @Sklivvz Sure, done.
  – A E
  9 hours ago
  

  
  
  
  


• 
  
  
  

  
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  @AE thanks, reopened
  – Sklivvz♦
  6 hours ago
  

  
  
  
  

 | 
show 1 more comment

up vote
4
down vote

favorite

up vote
4
down vote

favorite

Today on Facebook the Science Museum (London) posted:

#OTD in 1930 American astronaut and aeronautical engineer Neil Armstrong was born.

In July 1969, Armstrong and Apollo 11 pilot Buzz Aldrin performed the first manned Moon landing. When he stepped onto the lunar surface he famously said ''That's one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind.''

I though it was “one small step for a man”. That seems to make more sense.

Which is correct?

Clarification at mod request: please don’t answer with what you think the audio sounds like, because that’s a matter of opinion. There is professional audio analysis to cite (although a good answer would evaluate the strength, or not, of that evidence) as well as Armstrong’s reports of what he intended to say and what he believed he said.

quotes space-flight

share|improve this question

edited 9 hours ago

asked 15 hours ago

A E

3,85241940

Today on Facebook the Science Museum (London) posted:

#OTD in 1930 American astronaut and aeronautical engineer Neil Armstrong was born.

In July 1969, Armstrong and Apollo 11 pilot Buzz Aldrin performed the first manned Moon landing. When he stepped onto the lunar surface he famously said ''That's one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind.''

I though it was “one small step for a man”. That seems to make more sense.

Which is correct?

Clarification at mod request: please don’t answer with what you think the audio sounds like, because that’s a matter of opinion. There is professional audio analysis to cite (although a good answer would evaluate the strength, or not, of that evidence) as well as Armstrong’s reports of what he intended to say and what he believed he said.

quotes space-flight

share|improve this question

edited 9 hours ago

asked 15 hours ago

A E

3,85241940

share|improve this question

share|improve this question

edited 9 hours ago

edited 9 hours ago

edited 9 hours ago

asked 15 hours ago

A E

3,85241940

asked 15 hours ago

A E

3,85241940

asked 15 hours ago

A E

3,85241940

3,85241940

• 
  
  
  

  
  7
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  It's unclear why this was closed as "opinion-based". Millions of people heard it, and volumes were written about it.
  – Daniel R Hicks
  13 hours ago
  

  
  
  
  


• 
  
  
  

  
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  @Daniel Yeah, there’s technical analysis of the audio, and Armstrong’s statements on what he said. If I were asking “What do people think they heard?”, that would be a matter of opinion, but I’m not asking that.
  – A E
  13 hours ago
  

  
  
  
  


• 
  
  
  

  
  3
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  @AE people were already answering with their own opinions so your question is being interpreted that way. Can you clarify it so to exclude personal opinion on the matter? Thanks
  – Sklivvz♦
  12 hours ago
  

  
  
  
  


• 
  
  
  

  
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  @Sklivvz Sure, done.
  – A E
  9 hours ago
  

  
  
  
  


• 
  
  
  

  
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  @AE thanks, reopened
  – Sklivvz♦
  6 hours ago
  

  
  
  
  

 | 
show 1 more comment

• 
  
  
  

  
  7
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  It's unclear why this was closed as "opinion-based". Millions of people heard it, and volumes were written about it.
  – Daniel R Hicks
  13 hours ago
  

  
  
  
  


• 
  
  
  

  
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  @Daniel Yeah, there’s technical analysis of the audio, and Armstrong’s statements on what he said. If I were asking “What do people think they heard?”, that would be a matter of opinion, but I’m not asking that.
  – A E
  13 hours ago
  

  
  
  
  


• 
  
  
  

  
  3
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  @AE people were already answering with their own opinions so your question is being interpreted that way. Can you clarify it so to exclude personal opinion on the matter? Thanks
  – Sklivvz♦
  12 hours ago
  

  
  
  
  


• 
  
  
  

  
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  @Sklivvz Sure, done.
  – A E
  9 hours ago
  

  
  
  
  


• 
  
  
  

  
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  @AE thanks, reopened
  – Sklivvz♦
  6 hours ago
  

  
  
  
  

7

7

It's unclear why this was closed as "opinion-based". Millions of people heard it, and volumes were written about it.
– Daniel R Hicks
13 hours ago

It's unclear why this was closed as "opinion-based". Millions of people heard it, and volumes were written about it.
– Daniel R Hicks
13 hours ago

@Daniel Yeah, there’s technical analysis of the audio, and Armstrong’s statements on what he said. If I were asking “What do people think they heard?”, that would be a matter of opinion, but I’m not asking that.
– A E
13 hours ago

@Daniel Yeah, there’s technical analysis of the audio, and Armstrong’s statements on what he said. If I were asking “What do people think they heard?”, that would be a matter of opinion, but I’m not asking that.
– A E
13 hours ago

3

3

@AE people were already answering with their own opinions so your question is being interpreted that way. Can you clarify it so to exclude personal opinion on the matter? Thanks
– Sklivvz♦
12 hours ago

@AE people were already answering with their own opinions so your question is being interpreted that way. Can you clarify it so to exclude personal opinion on the matter? Thanks
– Sklivvz♦
12 hours ago

@Sklivvz Sure, done.
– A E
9 hours ago

@Sklivvz Sure, done.
– A E
9 hours ago

@AE thanks, reopened
– Sklivvz♦
6 hours ago

@AE thanks, reopened
– Sklivvz♦
6 hours ago

 | 
show 1 more comment

2 Answers
2

active

oldest

votes

up vote
19
down vote

It seems that he fluffed his line. He meant to say "a man", but inadvertently missed out the "a". It is also possible that the "a" was masked by static.

What did Neil Armstrong really say when he stepped on to the moon?

According to the authors of the 1986 book Chariots for Fire, the astronaut tried to argue it omitted the word "a" but after hearing a recording of the flight he admitted:

"Damn I really did it. I blew the first words on the moon, didn't I?"

Neil Armstrong’s family reveal origins of 'one small step' line

It is the most famous and disputed quote in history.

Now, three months after Neil Armstrong’s death, it has emerged that the first man on the Moon wrote the words to mark the moment he stepped onto the lunar surface months in advance and had always intended to include the notorious missing “a” in the speech.

share|improve this answer

edited 5 hours ago

ChrisW

24k591126

answered 14 hours ago

Paul Johnson

3,58121026

• 
  
  
  

  
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  Yep, this was discussed at length at the time, and the above is a reasonable summary.
  – Daniel R Hicks
  13 hours ago
  

  
  
  
  


• 
  
  
  

  
  2
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  The microphones used back then were "voice activated". So sometimes after a pause, they did not kick in immediately, so that the very beginning was not transmitted. So maybe a pause "one small step for ... a man" might mean the "a" was lost.
  – GEdgar
  12 hours ago
  

  
  
  
  


• 
  
  
  

  
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  @GEdgar - except that the pause actually came after "man" not before - try from 1:11 of youtube.com/watch?v=cwZb2mqId0A
  – Henry
  7 hours ago
  

  
  
  
  

add a comment | 

up vote
9
down vote

More grist for the mill:

Despite his initial adamance that he got the grammar right by
including the indefinite article, Armstrong acknowledged at a 30-year
anniversary event in 1999 that he couldn't hear himself utter the "a"
in the audio recording of his moonwalk transmission, according to the
Associated Press.

But then, in 2006, computer programmer Peter Shann Ford might have
vindicated Armstrong.

Ford downloaded the audio recording of the moon man's words from a
NASA website and analyzed the statement with software that allows
disabled people to communicate via computers using their nerve
impulses.

In a graphical representation of sound waves of the famous sentence,
Ford said he found evidence that the missing "a" had been spoken after
all: It was a 35-millisecond-long bump of sound between "for" and
"man" that would have been too brief for human ears to hear.

"I have reviewed the data and Peter Ford's analysis of it, and I find
the technology interesting and useful," Armstrong said in a statement.
''I also find his conclusion persuasive. Persuasive is the appropriate
word."

And so was "a," whether spoken or not.

This corresponds with my familiarity with spoken English: The word "a", in a context such as Armstrong's utterance, is easily "swallowed" -- if you really listen for it you can sort of hear it, but many people will insist it's not present.

share|improve this answer

edited 5 hours ago

answered 5 hours ago

Daniel R Hicks

1,07811117

add a comment | 

2 Answers
2

active

oldest

votes

2 Answers
2

active

oldest

votes

active

oldest

votes

active

oldest

votes

up vote
19
down vote

It seems that he fluffed his line. He meant to say "a man", but inadvertently missed out the "a". It is also possible that the "a" was masked by static.

What did Neil Armstrong really say when he stepped on to the moon?

According to the authors of the 1986 book Chariots for Fire, the astronaut tried to argue it omitted the word "a" but after hearing a recording of the flight he admitted:

"Damn I really did it. I blew the first words on the moon, didn't I?"

Neil Armstrong’s family reveal origins of 'one small step' line

It is the most famous and disputed quote in history.

Now, three months after Neil Armstrong’s death, it has emerged that the first man on the Moon wrote the words to mark the moment he stepped onto the lunar surface months in advance and had always intended to include the notorious missing “a” in the speech.

share|improve this answer

edited 5 hours ago

ChrisW

24k591126

answered 14 hours ago

Paul Johnson

3,58121026

• 
  
  
  

  
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  Yep, this was discussed at length at the time, and the above is a reasonable summary.
  – Daniel R Hicks
  13 hours ago
  

  
  
  
  


• 
  
  
  

  
  2
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  The microphones used back then were "voice activated". So sometimes after a pause, they did not kick in immediately, so that the very beginning was not transmitted. So maybe a pause "one small step for ... a man" might mean the "a" was lost.
  – GEdgar
  12 hours ago
  

  
  
  
  


• 
  
  
  

  
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  @GEdgar - except that the pause actually came after "man" not before - try from 1:11 of youtube.com/watch?v=cwZb2mqId0A
  – Henry
  7 hours ago
  

  
  
  
  

add a comment | 

up vote
19
down vote

It seems that he fluffed his line. He meant to say "a man", but inadvertently missed out the "a". It is also possible that the "a" was masked by static.

What did Neil Armstrong really say when he stepped on to the moon?

According to the authors of the 1986 book Chariots for Fire, the astronaut tried to argue it omitted the word "a" but after hearing a recording of the flight he admitted:

"Damn I really did it. I blew the first words on the moon, didn't I?"

Neil Armstrong’s family reveal origins of 'one small step' line

It is the most famous and disputed quote in history.

Now, three months after Neil Armstrong’s death, it has emerged that the first man on the Moon wrote the words to mark the moment he stepped onto the lunar surface months in advance and had always intended to include the notorious missing “a” in the speech.

share|improve this answer

edited 5 hours ago

ChrisW

24k591126

answered 14 hours ago

Paul Johnson

3,58121026

• 
  
  
  

  
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  Yep, this was discussed at length at the time, and the above is a reasonable summary.
  – Daniel R Hicks
  13 hours ago
  

  
  
  
  


• 
  
  
  

  
  2
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  The microphones used back then were "voice activated". So sometimes after a pause, they did not kick in immediately, so that the very beginning was not transmitted. So maybe a pause "one small step for ... a man" might mean the "a" was lost.
  – GEdgar
  12 hours ago
  

  
  
  
  


• 
  
  
  

  
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  @GEdgar - except that the pause actually came after "man" not before - try from 1:11 of youtube.com/watch?v=cwZb2mqId0A
  – Henry
  7 hours ago
  

  
  
  
  

add a comment | 

up vote
19
down vote

up vote
19
down vote

It seems that he fluffed his line. He meant to say "a man", but inadvertently missed out the "a". It is also possible that the "a" was masked by static.

What did Neil Armstrong really say when he stepped on to the moon?

According to the authors of the 1986 book Chariots for Fire, the astronaut tried to argue it omitted the word "a" but after hearing a recording of the flight he admitted:

"Damn I really did it. I blew the first words on the moon, didn't I?"

Neil Armstrong’s family reveal origins of 'one small step' line

It is the most famous and disputed quote in history.

Now, three months after Neil Armstrong’s death, it has emerged that the first man on the Moon wrote the words to mark the moment he stepped onto the lunar surface months in advance and had always intended to include the notorious missing “a” in the speech.

share|improve this answer

edited 5 hours ago

ChrisW

24k591126

answered 14 hours ago

Paul Johnson

3,58121026

It seems that he fluffed his line. He meant to say "a man", but inadvertently missed out the "a". It is also possible that the "a" was masked by static.

What did Neil Armstrong really say when he stepped on to the moon?

According to the authors of the 1986 book Chariots for Fire, the astronaut tried to argue it omitted the word "a" but after hearing a recording of the flight he admitted:

"Damn I really did it. I blew the first words on the moon, didn't I?"

Neil Armstrong’s family reveal origins of 'one small step' line

It is the most famous and disputed quote in history.

Now, three months after Neil Armstrong’s death, it has emerged that the first man on the Moon wrote the words to mark the moment he stepped onto the lunar surface months in advance and had always intended to include the notorious missing “a” in the speech.

share|improve this answer

edited 5 hours ago

ChrisW

24k591126

answered 14 hours ago

Paul Johnson

3,58121026

share|improve this answer

share|improve this answer

edited 5 hours ago

ChrisW

24k591126

edited 5 hours ago

ChrisW

24k591126

edited 5 hours ago

ChrisW

24k591126

24k591126

answered 14 hours ago

Paul Johnson

3,58121026

answered 14 hours ago

Paul Johnson

3,58121026

answered 14 hours ago

Paul Johnson

3,58121026

3,58121026

• 
  
  
  

  
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  Yep, this was discussed at length at the time, and the above is a reasonable summary.
  – Daniel R Hicks
  13 hours ago
  

  
  
  
  


• 
  
  
  

  
  2
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  The microphones used back then were "voice activated". So sometimes after a pause, they did not kick in immediately, so that the very beginning was not transmitted. So maybe a pause "one small step for ... a man" might mean the "a" was lost.
  – GEdgar
  12 hours ago
  

  
  
  
  


• 
  
  
  

  
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  @GEdgar - except that the pause actually came after "man" not before - try from 1:11 of youtube.com/watch?v=cwZb2mqId0A
  – Henry
  7 hours ago
  

  
  
  
  

add a comment | 

• 
  
  
  

  
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  Yep, this was discussed at length at the time, and the above is a reasonable summary.
  – Daniel R Hicks
  13 hours ago
  

  
  
  
  


• 
  
  
  

  
  2
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  The microphones used back then were "voice activated". So sometimes after a pause, they did not kick in immediately, so that the very beginning was not transmitted. So maybe a pause "one small step for ... a man" might mean the "a" was lost.
  – GEdgar
  12 hours ago
  

  
  
  
  


• 
  
  
  

  
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  @GEdgar - except that the pause actually came after "man" not before - try from 1:11 of youtube.com/watch?v=cwZb2mqId0A
  – Henry
  7 hours ago
  

  
  
  
  

Yep, this was discussed at length at the time, and the above is a reasonable summary.
– Daniel R Hicks
13 hours ago

Yep, this was discussed at length at the time, and the above is a reasonable summary.
– Daniel R Hicks
13 hours ago

2

2

The microphones used back then were "voice activated". So sometimes after a pause, they did not kick in immediately, so that the very beginning was not transmitted. So maybe a pause "one small step for ... a man" might mean the "a" was lost.
– GEdgar
12 hours ago

The microphones used back then were "voice activated". So sometimes after a pause, they did not kick in immediately, so that the very beginning was not transmitted. So maybe a pause "one small step for ... a man" might mean the "a" was lost.
– GEdgar
12 hours ago

@GEdgar - except that the pause actually came after "man" not before - try from 1:11 of youtube.com/watch?v=cwZb2mqId0A
– Henry
7 hours ago

@GEdgar - except that the pause actually came after "man" not before - try from 1:11 of youtube.com/watch?v=cwZb2mqId0A
– Henry
7 hours ago

add a comment | 

up vote
9
down vote

More grist for the mill:

Despite his initial adamance that he got the grammar right by
including the indefinite article, Armstrong acknowledged at a 30-year
anniversary event in 1999 that he couldn't hear himself utter the "a"
in the audio recording of his moonwalk transmission, according to the
Associated Press.

But then, in 2006, computer programmer Peter Shann Ford might have
vindicated Armstrong.

Ford downloaded the audio recording of the moon man's words from a
NASA website and analyzed the statement with software that allows
disabled people to communicate via computers using their nerve
impulses.

In a graphical representation of sound waves of the famous sentence,
Ford said he found evidence that the missing "a" had been spoken after
all: It was a 35-millisecond-long bump of sound between "for" and
"man" that would have been too brief for human ears to hear.

"I have reviewed the data and Peter Ford's analysis of it, and I find
the technology interesting and useful," Armstrong said in a statement.
''I also find his conclusion persuasive. Persuasive is the appropriate
word."

And so was "a," whether spoken or not.

This corresponds with my familiarity with spoken English: The word "a", in a context such as Armstrong's utterance, is easily "swallowed" -- if you really listen for it you can sort of hear it, but many people will insist it's not present.

share|improve this answer

edited 5 hours ago

answered 5 hours ago

Daniel R Hicks

1,07811117

add a comment | 

up vote
9
down vote

More grist for the mill:

Despite his initial adamance that he got the grammar right by
including the indefinite article, Armstrong acknowledged at a 30-year
anniversary event in 1999 that he couldn't hear himself utter the "a"
in the audio recording of his moonwalk transmission, according to the
Associated Press.

But then, in 2006, computer programmer Peter Shann Ford might have
vindicated Armstrong.

Ford downloaded the audio recording of the moon man's words from a
NASA website and analyzed the statement with software that allows
disabled people to communicate via computers using their nerve
impulses.

In a graphical representation of sound waves of the famous sentence,
Ford said he found evidence that the missing "a" had been spoken after
all: It was a 35-millisecond-long bump of sound between "for" and
"man" that would have been too brief for human ears to hear.

"I have reviewed the data and Peter Ford's analysis of it, and I find
the technology interesting and useful," Armstrong said in a statement.
''I also find his conclusion persuasive. Persuasive is the appropriate
word."

And so was "a," whether spoken or not.

This corresponds with my familiarity with spoken English: The word "a", in a context such as Armstrong's utterance, is easily "swallowed" -- if you really listen for it you can sort of hear it, but many people will insist it's not present.

share|improve this answer

edited 5 hours ago

answered 5 hours ago

Daniel R Hicks

1,07811117

add a comment | 

up vote
9
down vote

up vote
9
down vote

More grist for the mill:

Despite his initial adamance that he got the grammar right by
including the indefinite article, Armstrong acknowledged at a 30-year
anniversary event in 1999 that he couldn't hear himself utter the "a"
in the audio recording of his moonwalk transmission, according to the
Associated Press.

But then, in 2006, computer programmer Peter Shann Ford might have
vindicated Armstrong.

Ford downloaded the audio recording of the moon man's words from a
NASA website and analyzed the statement with software that allows
disabled people to communicate via computers using their nerve
impulses.

In a graphical representation of sound waves of the famous sentence,
Ford said he found evidence that the missing "a" had been spoken after
all: It was a 35-millisecond-long bump of sound between "for" and
"man" that would have been too brief for human ears to hear.

"I have reviewed the data and Peter Ford's analysis of it, and I find
the technology interesting and useful," Armstrong said in a statement.
''I also find his conclusion persuasive. Persuasive is the appropriate
word."

And so was "a," whether spoken or not.

This corresponds with my familiarity with spoken English: The word "a", in a context such as Armstrong's utterance, is easily "swallowed" -- if you really listen for it you can sort of hear it, but many people will insist it's not present.

share|improve this answer

edited 5 hours ago

answered 5 hours ago

Daniel R Hicks

1,07811117

More grist for the mill:

Despite his initial adamance that he got the grammar right by
including the indefinite article, Armstrong acknowledged at a 30-year
anniversary event in 1999 that he couldn't hear himself utter the "a"
in the audio recording of his moonwalk transmission, according to the
Associated Press.

But then, in 2006, computer programmer Peter Shann Ford might have
vindicated Armstrong.

Ford downloaded the audio recording of the moon man's words from a
NASA website and analyzed the statement with software that allows
disabled people to communicate via computers using their nerve
impulses.

In a graphical representation of sound waves of the famous sentence,
Ford said he found evidence that the missing "a" had been spoken after
all: It was a 35-millisecond-long bump of sound between "for" and
"man" that would have been too brief for human ears to hear.

"I have reviewed the data and Peter Ford's analysis of it, and I find
the technology interesting and useful," Armstrong said in a statement.
''I also find his conclusion persuasive. Persuasive is the appropriate
word."

And so was "a," whether spoken or not.

This corresponds with my familiarity with spoken English: The word "a", in a context such as Armstrong's utterance, is easily "swallowed" -- if you really listen for it you can sort of hear it, but many people will insist it's not present.

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edited 5 hours ago

answered 5 hours ago

Daniel R Hicks

1,07811117

share|improve this answer

share|improve this answer

edited 5 hours ago

edited 5 hours ago

edited 5 hours ago

answered 5 hours ago

Daniel R Hicks

1,07811117

answered 5 hours ago

Daniel R Hicks

1,07811117

answered 5 hours ago

Daniel R Hicks

1,07811117

1,07811117

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