Because it comes from the old French word ‘erbe’ and the H was never pronounced. The British often take French words and pronounce them as if they had originated in English, which is why they pronounce the H in ‘herb’ and the T in valet (which French and Americans pronounce val-AY).
Do you say Herbs or erbs?
The British pronunciation is “Herbs” with an “H” while American pronunciation is “erbs” without the “H.” Quite simple, eh? Just like this simple vinaigrette recipe to go with your herb salad. “Herb” or “erb,” it’s really your choice. Hallelujah for democracy.
Why do people pronounce the h in herb?
Our American cousins seem sometimes to arbitrarily decide that they shall pronounce a word in the French style even if it has been an English word for nearly a thousand years. Thus they leave the “h” silent in herb, just as the French do.
Why H is silent in honest?
The words hour and honest come from French, and in these cases English took over the French pronunciation as well as the word. Not all such words that have come into English from French still have a silent h, however.
Why do Americans say zee?
Others argue that zee follows the rhyme pattern of the “Alphabet Song” — copyrighted in Boston in 1835 — making the song, and the alphabet, easier to learn. Zee became the American standard.
Do Canadians say herbs or erbs?
How bland our turkey stuffing would taste without herbs – but why do some Canadians pronounce herb’s “h,” and others don’t? From about 1200, when it was adopted from French, until about 1500, the word was “erb,” without an “h” to say.
Do British people pronounce the h in herb?
The h in herb finally started being pronounced in the 19th century in Britain. By this time, the US was independent and American English was following a separate path from its British cousin.
Is R silent in hour?
Silent H. H is always silent in HONOUR, HOUR, HONEST, HEIR, VEHICLE & VEHEMENT. You don’t say it after ‘g’ in GHOST, GHASTLY, AGHAST, GHERKIN & GHETTO, or after ‘r’ in RHINOCEROS, RHUBARB, RHYME and RHYTHM.
Do you pronounce the h in hotel?
In the past, both “an hotel” and “a hotel” were commonly used because English words of French origin beginning with an “H” (such as “hotel”) used to be pronounced without it (so “hotel” would be pronounced just “otel”). … There are other Hs that are truly silent (not pronounced at all in any form of the word).
Why is it an hour and not a hour?
If a word begins with a vowel sound, then the correct article is an; otherwise, if it begins with a consonantal sound, the correct article is a. Because hour is typically pronounced with a silent h, an hour is correct.
Why do British people say mum?
What you are hearing is not mum as in mother, but ma’am, contraction of madam, with a strongly reduced vowel. In British English, it is mostly used as a sign of repect for a woman of superior rank, say, in the military or police.
Why do Americans say aluminum?
The American Chemical Society adopted “aluminum” because of how widely it was used by the public, but the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry officially designated the metal as “aluminium” as recently as 1990.
Why do British people say innit?
‘Innit’ – usually pronounced that way, usually with a regional accent of some kind, often with a Cockney accent of some kind, often with a Jamaican accent – it’s because it’s come really from the fashionable use, in London mainly, by the Asian community and the Jamaican community, popularised by Ali G and others.
What is the difference between a herb and an ERB?
Although Wikipedia suggests that some in the US pronounce the “h” in “herb”, I have never personally heard it here. So you may not like it (or rather, you may not be used to it), but “erb” is a correct pronunciation of “herb”. The letter “h” is usually pronounced as “ayche” in the UK as well.
Is herb a French word?
“The word herb, which can be pronounced with or without the (h), is one of a number of words borrowed into English from French. The ‘h’ sound had been lost in Latin and was not pronounced in French or the other Romance languages, which are descended from Latin, although it was retained in the spelling of some words.
How do you pronounce herb Reddit?
Herbs as “Erbs“
What do Brits call oregano?
I ate about three bites before I decided that there was nothing to do but toss it out. Oregano differs in pronunciation, with Americans saying oREGano and the British saying oreGANo. In South Africa (where I first started picking up ‘commonwealth English’), they use oreGANum.
Why is the H in thyme silent?
The correct pronunciation of thyme is exactly like the word “time”. The “h” in thyme is silent and “i” is pronounced with a long “i”, which means like the word “eye”. The end result is that thyme is pronounced exactly how you would say the word “time”.
Why do Americans pronounce oregano?
Alas, according to etymonline, around 1771 (why?), the English decided to use the Spanish word orégano, and please note the Spanish word has got a tense of the RE: oRÉgano. You may hear oregano in multiples languages (including American/British/Irish accents) on Forvo.
Who pronounces the h in herb?
The British pronunciation is “Herbs” with an “H” while American pronunciation is “erbs” without the “H.” Quite simple, eh? Just like this simple vinaigrette recipe to go with your herb salad. “Herb” or “erb,” it’s really your choice.
Why is the L not pronounced in salmon?
The word comes ultimately from the Latin salmon, but we got it by way of French, as we did with so many other food words. The French, as was their wont, had swallowed up the Latin L in their pronunciation, so by the time we English borrowed the word, it was saumon, no L in the spelling and so no L in the pronunciation.
Lorraine Wade is all about natural food. She loves to cook and bake, and she’s always experimenting with new recipes. Her friends and family are the lucky beneficiaries of her culinary skills! Lorraine also enjoys hiking and exploring nature. She’s a friendly person who loves to chat with others, and she’s always looking for ways to help out in her community.