No, PARAGON is quite correct. If they were really spelled that way, they would be vowel-type sounds. Unlike you, I'm not suggesting you need Special ED, only second grade grammar.
Did you really think that by omitting information you would make you point?
"A" goes before all words that begin with consonants.
· a cat
· a dog
· a purple onion
· a buffalo
· a big apple
with one exception: Use an before unsounded h.
· an honorable peace
· an honest error
"An" goes before all words that begin with vowels:
· an apricot
· an egg
· an Indian
· an orbit
· an uprising
with two exceptions: When u makes the same sound as the y in you, or o makes the same sound as w in won, then a is used.
· a union
· a united front
· a unicorn
· a used napkin
· a U.S. ship
· a one-legged man
Note: The choice of article is actually based upon the phonetic (sound) quality of the first letter in a word, not on the orthographic (written) representation of the letter. If the first letter makes a vowel-type sound, you use "an"; if the first letter would makes a consonant-type sound, you use "a." So, if you consider the rule from a phonetic perspective, there aren't any exceptions. Since the 'h' hasn't any phonetic representation, no audible sound, in the first exception, the sound that follows the article is a vowel; consequently, 'an' is used. In the second exception, the word-initial 'y' sound (unicorn) is actually a glide [j] phonetically, which has consonantal properties; consequently, it is treated as a consonant, requiring 'a'.
Either you are operating under the misunderstanding that the “e” in esoteric is silent, or you are misapplying your own rule. You are mistaking the sound of the letter "S" (a consonant-type sound requiring a; example at the beginning of the word stop) for the sound of the "NAME of the letter 'S', which has the sound 'ess'" as in essence or esoteric (a vowel-type sound requiring “an”). You would no more say "a esoteric concept" than you would "an stop sign."
But I'm really not about arguing syntax here; my point was that it is arrogant to call you own thought esoteric. It makes you sound as if you think the concepts that you are imparting are above most other people’s ability to comprehend. I couldn't agree with you less. I voiced my opinion. I believe James understood it, but suspect he disagrees. I respect that. It’s his choice to make. In the scheme of things, I value my own opinion no more than anyone else’s. Why would you try to set your ideas above those of others by calling them esoteric? I found nothing in you comments here that were difficult to understand. Certainly nothing that qualifies (using your definition) as principles which are above man-made ideas.
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