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Discussion » Questions » Language » Why don't Americans pronounce the aspirate in the world "herbs"?

Why don't Americans pronounce the aspirate in the world "herbs"?

Everywhere else in the English-speaking world, it's h+erbs, but in America it's just erbs.

Posted - January 19

Responses


  • 11297
     Americans use the French pronunciation. We're fancy like that.
      January 19, 2025 10:16 AM MST
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  • 34728
    Because that is how the British taught us to say it.  They were taught by the French. 

    Later, some British thought not pronouncing then H made them sound poor and uneducated.  So they started saying H+erb. 

    US did not do that.  Just as we also did not change the name of soccer to football.  (It was called soccer when it was introduced to us) 

      January 19, 2025 2:08 PM MST
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  • 173
    I'm English, and wouldn't pronounce the 'h' either. Might be a northern thing. 
      January 19, 2025 3:40 PM MST
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  • 11297
    Also true of how we use our knife and fork. Americans didn't change, the British did.
      January 19, 2025 4:41 PM MST
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  • 16930
    It's a contraction of "Association Football". Ergo, football played by the rules codified by the British FA.
      January 19, 2025 5:00 PM MST
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  • 34728
    It was slang abbreviation for Association Football in England. It was called "assoccer"  (like fiver or niner) which became "soccer" in England.

    Do you call abbreviations "contractions?"  If so that is yet another difference.  This post was edited by my2cents at January 20, 2025 4:44 PM MST
      January 20, 2025 2:58 PM MST
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  • 4045
    This reminded me of an absolutely hysterical video by an English comedian I saw on Facebook about silent letters in words.  It's a bit lengthy, but I laughed so hard I almost choked.

    I can't get it to play on here, but this is the link:

    https://www.facebook.com/reel/901126185503016

    This post was edited by Spunky at January 20, 2025 3:30 PM MST
      January 20, 2025 2:12 PM MST
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  • 23785

    I love the sound of him and his Tijuana Brass. 
    :)
      January 24, 2025 8:46 PM MST
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