This might be a dumb question, but.....

Blasphemy, it's certainly not 'dumb'.

But people read things the way they would speak them, so I'm almost positive using 'an' would be suitable for this sort of thing.

Actually, it's a great question--one that I find myself contemplating freqently as acronyms proliferate in some of the academic writing I edit.

My take on it is that, as an editor, I can do what I please. I follow (and enforce) the rule that "an" is appropiate before a vowel sound.

I'd recommend spelling it out, so it would be "a self-addressed, stamped envelope." While everyone CALLS it an SASE (and the "an" would be appropriate to precede a single letter), few actually type it in the query.

Either above your below your sign-off, put:

SASE enclosed for your response. Left justify it (don't indent). It's probably better left out of the main body (narrative part) of the letter.

Whenever I'm confronted with a conundrum like this, I solve it by inserting the word "damn", as in "a damn SASE." Works every time.

caw.

Ad Astra said:

Blasphemy, it's certainly not 'dumb'.

But people read things the way they would speak them, so I'm almost positive using 'an' would be suitable for this sort of thing.

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Nope, it's "a SASE is enclosed..." and not "an SASE is enclosed...".

Sorry but no frenchie frys for you girlie.

I personally use "a," but then I pronounce SASE "SAY-see" and not "ess-ay-ess-ee."

What...no french fries? ;_;

Hyark hyark, anyways, why do you think put the 'I'm ALMOST positive'?

This generated quite a long thread of comments once on Miss Snark's blog. There was no real consensus, as I recall.

Either way. It depends if you want to pronounce it as sase, or S.A.S.E.

"A" for the former, and "an" for the latter.

Personally, since it's an acronym, I'd spell it out, so I use "an." Just as you would say, "I've an IBM computer" and not "I've got a IBM [pronounced as imb] computer."

Ad Astra said:

What...no french fries? ;_;

Hyark hyark, anyways, why do you think put the 'I'm ALMOST positive'?

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You're missing a vowel in this sentence...guess you used it on the OP response...hahhahaaaa....

I didn't know what "SASE" meant until a couple of years ago. I was too embarrassed to ask anyone.

Oy, sorry, that's been happening to me quite often lately.

Scarlett_156 said:

I didn't know what "SASE" meant until a couple of years ago. I was too embarrassed to ask anyone.

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The question left unasked is the one in everyone's mind.

No one is going to flog you to death if you use "an" instead of "a" or vice versa.

(and it's not a dumb question)

Stuff like this tends to make my ears smoke like the android Norman on the old Star Trek TV show, so I just avoid it by ending my query/cover letters along these lines:

Sincerely,​

​

My name
​

Encl.: This letter

Manuscript (prologue & first three chapters)

Synopsis

SASE
​

I'm going to move this down to Grammar to see what our language mavens have to say...

SASE

In all honesty, I can't remember ever needing to use any form of a or an SASE. When are you supposed to use it, anyway?

I'm not about to tell an agent or editor that I've enclosed a SASE or an SASE. If I've enclosed it correctly, they don't need to be told.

I know most say the rule should be "an SASE," but I think it's wrong. I'd write "a" SASE, simply because I'd never think of writing "An self-addressed envelope," so why would I write "An SASE?" My ear must be off, but I don't hear "SASE" starting with a vowel sound, any more than I hear "self" starting with a vowel sound. Is it "A safe," or "An safe." If it's "a safe," then it should be " a SASE."

But, really, doesn't "SASE enclosed" say it all?

My ear must be off, but I don't hear "SASE" starting with a vowel sound, any more than I hear "self" starting with a vowel sound.

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The vowel sound comes when you pronounce each letter of the acronym separately:

ess ay ess ee

exactly. when you treat it like an acronym -- it's S - A - S - E, not self-addressed-self-stamped-envelope -- then the "an" makes sense, because the "S" starts with a vowel.

Like I said, it depends on how you treat the acronym. Because in the case of SASE or UNICEF, you can actually pronounce the acronym as a word, and that makes it confusing. When you deal with acronyms, you don't treat it as the full text. But do you say "sass" and "unisef" or do you say "ess ay ess ess" and "you en eye ess yee eff"?


So it's "an NAACP representative" or "an NFL team." If you apply the same rule, then it's "an SASE."

If you prefer to say "a NAACP representative" or "a NFL team" then you would probably say "a SASE."

Now if you prefer to pronounce "SASE" as "sass" then you would probably say "a SASE."

Eeman said:

The vowel sound comes when you pronounce each letter of the acronym separately:

ess ay ess ee

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True, but in twenty years, I don't think I've heard anyone use SASE as an initialism. Every last person I know uses SASE as an anacronym, just as NASA is an anacronym, and as such, it should be "a SASE," not "an SASE."

I think too many have forgotten the difference between an initialism and an acronym. "MBA" is an initialism. "NASA" is an acronym. If it's said as a word, then the grammatical rule for words is what should be used, and everyone I know treats SASE as a word. They do not say "ess ay ess ee," the say "SASE," just as we say "NASA."

And that's why it's funny. I've always said it as S-A-S-E but I've heard others say it either way (S-A-S-E or sass). Since I always say it as S-A-S-E, I use "an."

That's why even the experts are split on this.

I always spell out the four letters SASE when I say it out loud, and would never, ever pronounce it "saze" or "sass." I've never heard anyone say it that way either. Do you suppose it's a regional variation?

Also, depending on the dictionary, you'll find that "acronym" and "initialism" are considered to be the same thing in some, different in others, and in some "initialism" is a type of acronym. I think the usage isn't consistent. Of course, I've never heard anyone use the term "initialism" until I read it here, which is why I went to the trouble to look it up.