Why do Americans say ERBS?

Answer: The Americans have picked this up from Norman- French. "Herb" is a word that would have been very commonly used by the French, so that is why it would have stuck, as oppose to other words in the American dialect such as "helicopter."

Why do Americans pronounce parmesan with AJ?

For the same reason we use ae instead of just e. ;) The original cheese from which parmesan is derived is "Parmigiano Reggiano" -- therefore, American English "par-me-zhan" is actually closer to the original pronunciation than "par-me-zan".

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.

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 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.

Why Americans Drop the H in Herb | Distant Words

Why do British people say bloody?

Don't worry, it's not a violent word… it has nothing to do with “blood”.”Bloody” is a common word to give more emphasis to the sentence, mostly used as an exclamation of surprise. Something may be “bloody marvellous” or “bloody awful“. Having said that, British people do sometimes use it when expressing anger…

How do Northerners say caramel?

Jamie also shared a pronunciation map of the U.S. put together in 2013 by Joshua Katz of North Carolina State's department of statistics, showing that the “car-mel” pronunciation dominates the western and northern part of the nation, while “car-uh-mel” starts in southeast Texas and slowly slides diagonally up the ...

Why do Brits pronounce the h in herb?

According to the Oxford English Dictionary, you Brits said herb with a silent H right up until some time in the 19th century. Only then did you start to adapt this loanword into your own pronunciation habits. For whatever reason, we Americans just simply haven't gotten around to anglicizing herb yet.

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.

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 does American English Drop the U?

American spelling was invented as a form of protest

He dropped the letter u from words like colour and honour – which had developed from the French influence in England – to make them color and honor instead.

Why do English say leftenant?

According to military customs, a lower ranking soldier walks on the left side of a senior officer. This courtesy developed when swords were still used on the battle field. The lower ranked soldier on the "left" protected the senior officers left side. Therefore, the term leftenant developed.

How do Southerners pronounce pecan?

Many people believe Southerners say “pee-can” while Northerners say “puh-kahn.” According to the National Pecan Shellers Association (which, we assume, is the foremost authority on all things pecan), only 45 percent of Southerners are Team Pee-can—unlike 70 percent of people in the Northeast.

Is L silent in almond?

More recent standard dictionaries say we can now properly pronounce “almond” either with or without the “l” sound.

Is the H silent in herbivore?

“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.”

How do Southerners say tomatoes?

As the saying goes, "Tomatoes, tomahtoes." But, no. There's only one way to say it in the South, and that's the first way. It's also the right way, if I may be so bold and presumptuous.