Take SQL (Structured Query Language) as an example. If I refer to it unabreviated it’s “A Structured Query Lanugage query”
So when I refer to it abreviated should it be “An SQL query” or “A SQL query”?
It depends on the initial sound of the abbreviation, just as with any other word. “an SQL query” sounds much better to my ears than “a SQL query”.
Yeah, expanding on what ultrafilter said, if the next word begins with a vowel it’s “an” - if it begins with a consonant it’s “a.”
Someone who pronounces SAP as “sap” would say “a SAP implementation,” someone who spells it s-a-p would say “an SAP implementation,” although seeing it written it looks weird.
Right, because you’re basically saying an ess kyoo ell theory. But take P2P network, for example. You’d say a pee2pee network.
a b, c, d, g, j, k, p, q, t, u, v, w, y and z
an a, e, f, h, i, l, m, n, o, r, s and x
So does the rule refer to the written word SQL (beginning with a consonant) or to the spoken word (even if it’s being typed, not spoken) ES KYOO ELL?
edit: So even if something’s not being said out loud, we still use the rule as if it were being spoken (therefore treating ‘SQL’ as beginning with ‘e’)
Spoken. The a vs. an decision is always based on the spoken word.
What about acronyms that are pronounced phonetically when spoken?
I always write ‘a SQL query’ because I say it ‘A sequel query’.
Of course, I always write ‘A URL’ because pronouncing it ‘earl’ is just Not Cool.
What about them? Go with the initial sound of the spoken word.
Here’s an easy way to execute the rule without requiring any significant effort: if you are debating between “a” and “an”, think about which would sound normal if you said it out loud and what would sound bizarre. I guarantee you, if you are anything like a native English speaker, this will give the correct results, “an” before vowel sounds and “a” before consonant sounds.
(The idea that letters, those characters, those marks on paper, are the things to be distinguished as vowels and consonants, rather than sounds (phonemes, vocal articulations) is, well, ubiquitous, but bone-headed.)
So I went on an one week vacation… wait…
Right - but while I pronounce it ‘sequel’, many people say ‘ess-cue-ell’. There’s a fairly even split between the two communities. What’s the correct way of writing it?
I’d say jsut do it how you say it and let the universe sort it out via heated battles of extreme pedantry.
No, because “one” is pronounced “wun,” which begins with a consonant sound.
Ironically I use ‘sequel’ when I’m speaking, but when I’m typing it I’m imagining myself saying ‘es kyoo ell’.
When I was trying to be cute (to a girl) I would call it ‘squirrel’. Can I have my award for geekiness?
That was my point, I was acting on the line “ubiquitous, but boneheaded.” So I made a joke by screwing up one of the most widely understood examples where “an” doesn’t preceed a vowel (character). Probably should’ve made that clearer.
Since there’s no one right way of pronouncing it, there’s no one right way of writing it. Write it the way that accords with the way you would say it.
(Oh, and Jragon, I appreciated your comment (even if I did take a couple reads to realize you were being humorously insightful, rather than bizarrely defective in English language instinct).)
Perfect material for the Dope, then. 
Less cute, but just as prevalent amongst geeks, is “squeal.”
There are times, often hundreds of hours into debugging sessions, when it seems to be the most appropriate pronunciation, too.
What about abbreviations that you automatically un-abbreviate when you read them (I hope I’m not the only one that does this)? For example: LotR. I never read it as “ell oh tee arr,” but automatically expand it and read it as “Lord of the Rings.” Thus, to me, saying “I’ve got a LotR DVD here somewhere” sounds more ‘correct’ than “I’ve got an LotR DVD”
The rule is based on spoken English. It doesn’t matter whether it is a plain ordinary word, an abbreviation you spell out, an abbreviation you don’t spell out, random letters from someone’s fevered imagination, or any other possibilities. How it is written is irrelevant. In your example since you pronounce it “Lord…”, a would be correct.