Why do American's pronounce herbs as 'erbs?

by yadda yadda 2 48 Replies latest jw friends

  • hamsterbait
    hamsterbait

    I was always intrigued how Carl Sagan - may his glorious memory continue - always said UMANS, or UMAN beings never pronouncing the H.

    HB

  • aligot ripounsous
    aligot ripounsous

    And why do they pronounce sKedule ?

  • chickpea
    chickpea

    my understanding is the posh
    brits said Herbs, but the
    gardener tending their
    Herbs dropped the H....
    an 'orrible 'abit of the
    east enders

    guess whose offspring were most
    likely to immigrate to the upstart colony?

  • Finally-Free
    Finally-Free

    The infraction is minor compared to:

    1. right instead of write.
    2. there instead of their or they're.
    3. infact instead of in fact.

    I could go on and on about common errors that I see on this sie every day, but I need to get a coffee or 5 into me right now.

    W

  • John Doe
    John Doe

    Good lord. Another spelling Nazi? Just what we need.

  • Quandry
    Quandry

    I could go on and on about common errors that I see on thissieevery day, but I need to get a coffee or 5 into me right now.

    Yes, I see what you mean.......

  • Blithe Freshman
    Blithe Freshman

    I thought it was because the "Stove Top Stuffing" commercial back in the 7o's, told us to. Any one remember "It's 'erb Herb?

    Blithe

  • Finally-Free
    Finally-Free
    Yes, I see what you mean.......

    I tink mebbe I bettr duble up on the coffee kwota today.

    W

  • pmouse
    pmouse

    From dictonary.com:

    herb

    - 8 dictionary results Cheng's Acupuncture25+yrs experience, Chinese LAc. Infertility, Pain, Anexity, etc...www.drmingmcheng.com Medicinal HerbThousands Of Herbal Supplements & Remedies At Great Prices. Buy Now!www.HerbalRemedies.com Discount SupplementsFind Them At Discount Nutrition Contact Us Today! Sponsored Results discountnutritionworld.com .shd_hdr1 { width:100%; } .sep_top1 { position : relative; } .citesourceseperator{ border-bottom: solid 1px #E4E4E4; margin-top:15px; margin-bottom:7px; } .sep_top1 table{ margin-top:-2px; margin-bottom:-3px; } .results_content ul, .results_content ol { margin-bottom:-3px; } .result_copyright{ font-family:arial; }

    herb

        / ?rb or, especially Brit. , h?rb / Show Spelled Pronunciation [ urb or, especially Brit. , hurb ] Show IPA –noun

    1.a flowering plant whose stem above ground does not become woody.
    2.such a plant when valued for its medicinal properties, flavor, scent, or the like.
    3.Often, the herb. Slang . marijuana.
    4.Archaic . herbage.

    —Idiom

    5.give it the herbs, Australian Slang . to use full power, esp. in accelerating a car.

    Origin:
    1250–1300; ME herbe < OF erbe, herbe < L herba
    Related forms:
    herbless, adjective herblike, adjective Cheng's Acupuncture25+yrs experience, Chinese LAc. Infertility, Pain, Anexity, etc...www.drmingmcheng.com Medicinal HerbThousands Of Herbal Supplements & Remedies At Great Prices. Buy Now! Sponsored Results www.HerbalRemedies.com

    Herb

        / h?rb / Show Spelled Pronunciation [ hurb ] Show IPA –noun

    a male given name, form of Herbert.

    Dictionary.com Unabridged
    Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
    Cite This Source | Link To herb ._vtad { border-top: 1px solid #B6D0DD; padding: 15px 0 0 0; margin: 1em 0 0 0; background-image: url(http://syndication.visualthesaurus.com/ddc/gradient.png);background-repeat: repeat-x; background-position: 0 0; } ._vtad A { text-decoration: none; } ._vtad A:hover { text-decoration: underline; } ._vtad_flt { float: right; margin: 0 0 10px 7px; } ._vtad_flt IMG { vertical-align: top; margin-bottom: 5px; border: 1px solid #CCCCCC;} A._vtad_explore { letter-spacing: -.4px; font-family: verdana;display:block; line-height: 10px; font-size: 11px;color: #0050BB; } ._vtad_related { font-family: verdana; font-size: 12px; margin: 6px 0 6px; } ._vtad_related A { color: black; } ._vtad_header { font-family: georgia; line-height: 10px; font-size: 14px; color: #575757; } ._vtad_header IMG { vertical-align: top; margin-right: 7px; } ._vtad_header A { font-family: Times New Roman, serif; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; color: black; } A._vtad_other { font-family: verdana; font-size: 1em; color: #0050BB; } Explore the Visual Thesaurus » herb herbaceous plant View more related words »

    herb (ûrb, hûrb)
    n.
    1. A plant whose stem does not produce woody, persistent tissue and generally dies back at the end of each growing season.
    2. Any of various often aromatic plants used especially in medicine or as seasoning.
    3. Slang Marijuana.

    [Middle English herbe , from Old French erbe , from Latin herba .]
    herb'y adj.
    Usage Note: 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. In both Old and Middle English, however, h was generally pronounced, as in the native English words happy and hot. Through the influence of spelling, then, the h came to be pronounced in most words borrowed from French, such as haste and hostel. In a few other words borrowed from French the h has remained silent, as in honor, honest, hour, and heir. And in another small group of French loan words, including herb, humble, human, and humor, the h may or may not be pronounced depending on the dialect of English. In British English, herb and its derivatives, such as herbaceous, herbal, herbicide, and herbivore, are pronounced with h. In American English, herb and herbal are more often pronounced without the h, while the opposite is true of herbaceous, herbicide, and herbivore, which are more often pronounced with the h.

    The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
    Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
    Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
    Cite This Source

    Herb

    Herb\ (?; 277), n. [OE. herbe, erbe, OF. herbe, erbe, F. herbe, L. herba; perh. akin to Gr. forbh` food, pasture, fe`rbein to feed.]1. A plant whose stem does not become woody and permanent, but dies, at least down to the ground, after flowering. Note: Annual herbs live but one season; biennial herbs flower the second season, and then die; perennial herbs produce new stems year after year. 2. Grass; herbage. And flocks Grazing the tender herb. --Milton. Herb bennet . (Bot.) See Bennet. Herb Christopher (Bot.), an herb ( Act[ae]a spicata ), whose root is used in nervous diseases; the baneberry. The name is occasionally given to other plants, as the royal fern, the wood betony, etc. Herb Gerard (Bot.), the goutweed; -- so called in honor of St. Gerard, who used to be invoked against the gout. --Dr. Prior. Herb grace , or Herb of grace . (Bot.) See Rue. Herb Margaret (Bot.), the daisy. See Marguerite. Herb Paris (Bot.), an Old World plant related to the trillium ( Paris quadrifolia ), commonly reputed poisonous. Herb Robert (Bot.), a species of Geranium ( G. Robertianum .) Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc.
    Cite This Source #newimg{ background-image:url('http://sp.ask.com/en/i/dictionary/translate_new.png'); margin-top:8px; } #newimg6{ filter:progid:DXImageTransform.Microsoft.AlphaImageLoader(src='http://sp.ask.com/en/i/dictionary/translate_new.png', sizingMethod='crop'); } Language Translation for : herb Spanish: hierba, German: das Kraut, Japanese: ???? More Translations » herb
    c.1290, erbe, from O.Fr. erbe, from L. herba "grass, herb." Refashioned after L. since 15c., but the h- was mute until 19c. Herbaceous is from 1646. Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
    Cite This Source Main Entry: herb
    Pronunciation: '(h)&rb
    Function: noun
    often attributive1: a seed plant that does not develop persistent woody tissuebut dies down at the end of a growing season
    2: a plant or plant part valued for its medicinal, savory, or aromatic qualities Merriam-Webster's Medical Dictionary, © 2002 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
    Cite This Source

    herb (ûrb) Pronunciation Key
    A flowering plant whose stem does not produce woody tissue and generally dies back at the end of each growing season. Both grasses and forbs are herbs.

    herbaceous adjective (hûr-ba'sh?s, ûr-)

    The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
    Copyright © 2002. Published by Houghton Mifflin. All rights reserved.
    Cite This Source

    Herb

    (1.) Heb. 'eseb, any green plant; herbage (Gen. 1:11, 12, 29, 30; 2:5; 3:18, etc.); comprehending vegetables and all green herbage (Amos 7:1, 2). (2.) _Yarak_, green; any green thing; foliage of trees (2 Kings 19:26; Ps. 37:2); a plant; herb (Deut. 11:10). (3.) _Or_, meaning "light" In Isa. 26:19 it means "green herbs;" in 2 Kings 4:39 probably the fruit of some plant. (4.) _Merorim_, plural, "bitter herbs," eaten by the Israelites at the Passover (Ex. 12:8; Num. 9:11). They were bitter plants of various sorts, and referred symbolically to the oppression in Egypt.

    Easton's 1897 Bible Dictionary
    Cite This Source

  • ataloa
    ataloa

    Yes, Blithe, in my hometown, we ate erbs, but washed our hair in herbal essence. For some reason, dropping that h in the shampoo was looked upon as being uppity.

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