[traceroute66]

No.

"French" is adjective or a collective noun, but don't use it as a countable noun.

Trying to say "as a French" makes about as much sense as thinking "as a American" is correct.

As has already been said ... "a French (wo)man","a French person","a French citizen" is the correct way to go.

The reason you can say "an American" is because America starts with a vowel.

Same reason why you would not say "a British" but you could say "a Brit".

[woodruffw]

Demonyms don’t use the same rules as countable nouns. Both “French” and “British” are acceptable demonyms, they’re just not particularly idiomatic in American English (which likes to overcorrect with “person” like you’ve noted).

(There’s no particularly consistency with this, it’s just what sounds “good” to American ears. We’re perfectly fine with “as a German” or “as a Lithuanian.”)

[traceroute66]

> Both “French” and “British” are acceptable demonyms

No they are not.

The Oxford English Dictionary, for example makes it quite clear re. 'French':

    "With plural agreement, and frequently with 'the' French people regarded collectively ..."

I draw your attention to the first three words ... "with plural agreement".

It is explicitly telling you that "French" is a collective plural noun and hence cannot be used as a singular countable noun.

[woodruffw]

I think we’re past OED being a normative arbiter of what does or doesn’t pass for acceptable English usage.

[troad]

Precisely so: the OED's role is descriptive, in that it is to describe English as it is used, not how it ought to be used. It provides evidence of a grammatical rule - it is not the rule itself.

You can speak however you like, there is no language police, but the fact is the average English speaker will perceive certain constructs to be grammatically incorrect. "He eat", "I driving", "a French" etc.

[mistrial9]

a French; an American; a Brit, or a British

sounds casual but correct to me

[traceroute66]

> sounds casual but correct to me

I don't care if it "sounds ok to me".

If you're going to make statements like that to go against what I've written then at least come up with some viable citations to grammar literature.

Honestly, in all my years on this earth I have never, ever heard anybody in any English speaking country I've spent time in say "a French" "a American" "a British".

And that amounts to a lot of time surrounded by people speaking VERY "casual" English.

P.S. I said "an American" was ok if you re-read.. an NOT a

[MarceColl]

The reason you can say "an American" has nothing to do with a vowel or not, there are just some demonyms that for some reason can be used like this, and some that can't.

For example:

* German is countable: https://www.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com/definition/englis... * French is uncountable: https://www.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com/definition/englis... * American is countable: https://www.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com/definition/englis... * Spanish is uncountable: https://www.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com/definition/englis...

But your explanation about why it is correct is bullshit, has nothing to do with "an" vs "a", the English language is just inconsistent as fuck and some demonyms can be used like this and some can't.