English, the Language.

[Asbo Zaprudder]

Once in California I had to resort to Italian to make myself understood when asking for water, which Americans appear to pronounce as "wadder" , while we English say "warter" (if you're from the south) or "watter" (from t'north). At least, I think "acqua minerale" is Italian - it was close enough to "agua mineral" or whatever the Spanish actually is.

This is how it is pronounced in Pennsylvania and basically anywhere that isn't New York, New Jersey, Maryland, or the Deep South.
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/bd/En-us-water.ogg

Hmm, that clip doesn't play at all for some reason. Perhaps I don't have the right codec installed.

ETA: Now working, wtf. Anyway, it still sounds like "wadder" to me.

 

[Alidar Jarok]

Once in California I had to resort to Italian to make myself understood when asking for water, which Americans appear to pronounce as "wadder" , while we English say "warter" (if you're from the south) or "watter" (from t'north). At least, I think "acqua minerale" is Italian - it was close enough to "agua mineral" or whatever the Spanish actually is.

This is how it is pronounced in Pennsylvania and basically anywhere that isn't New York, New Jersey, Maryland, or the Deep South.
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/bd/En-us-water.ogg

You've never heard someone from Philly wanting to eat "Wooder Ice"? Water, Warter, Wooder, Wawder, etc.

The D isn't a d exactly as a flap (sort of halfway between t and d).

 

[SG-17]

Once in California I had to resort to Italian to make myself understood when asking for water, which Americans appear to pronounce as "wadder" , while we English say "warter" (if you're from the south) or "watter" (from t'north). At least, I think "acqua minerale" is Italian - it was close enough to "agua mineral" or whatever the Spanish actually is.

This is how it is pronounced in Pennsylvania and basically anywhere that isn't New York, New Jersey, Maryland, or the Deep South.
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/bd/En-us-water.ogg

You've never heard someone from Philly wanting to eat "Wooder Ice"? Water, Warter, Wooder, Wawder, etc.

The D isn't a d exactly as a flap (sort of halfway between t and d).

I try to avoid people from Philadelphia. Seriously though Philadelphians sound like New Jersey to me. That whole little curve though New York, New Jersey (+ Philly), and Maryland sound pretty much identical to me.

 

[Holdfast]

The way they pronounce herb is bad enough, but don't get me started on oregano. But at least there it's just wacky pronunciation, not making up words like cilantro for coriander...

 

[SG-17]

I haven't actually spoken the word herb aloud in quite some time but when I say it in my head I do notice a slight vestige of the H sound. However I have heard it pronounced "erb" many times, so both pronunciations are non-alien to me.

 

[Chaos Descending]

English is such a great language! Invented by Germans, improved by the French, perfected by Americans.

 

[Alidar Jarok]

I try to avoid people from Philadelphia. Seriously though Philadelphians sound like New Jersey to me. That whole little curve though New York, New Jersey (+ Philly), and Maryland sound pretty much identical to me.

New York and Philly accents sound nothing alike unless you're watching Rocky. Ask a New Yorker to say a word ending in R. They won't pronounce it. The word On in New York is pretty much On or Ahn. In Philly, it's Awn. New York Long Os are very short and abrupt. Philly Os are very drawn out (it's why I mentioned that I say "Phowen" for Phone). Maryland, Northern Delaware, Philadelphia, and South Jersey are in one accent group. New York is in an entirely different one. New York has more in common with Boston as far as accents go.

NY, Philly (alt: Unforced Philly accent)

 

[lurok]

I can't see problem/issue/syntactic:

herb is herb (we all know what a herb is)

erb is non-existent/nonsensical...

 

[SG-17]

I can't see problem/issue/syntactic:

herb is herb (we all know what a herb is)

erb is non-existent/nonsensical...

It is a silent H, like in hour.

 

[Alidar Jarok]

No one says Hower (for hour), they say Ower. I don't know why Erb is so nonsensical to British people.

 

[Asbo Zaprudder]

Not nonsensical, more quaint.

 

[Skywalker]

Yeah, and then we made it better!

Your accent lacks character.

 

[ITL]

No one says Hower, they say Ower. I don't know why Erb is so nonsensical to British people.

It isn't.

It just stands out like a sore thumb when spoken by those who almost never drop an "h" as a norm.

 

[lurok]

Not nonsensical, more quaint.

As in: a herb is a herb. There is nothing in English language that equates to erb/'erb. The word doesn't exist. Sorry, but that's the way it is. Any derivation is a corruption....

Not that's necessarily a bad thing. I just get frustrated with American friends who accept current idiomatic expression as correct when clearly it is wrong. Imagine a Brit sitting with Americans stating: it's "oh-ray-goh-noh", not cilantro. "Herb" not "erb"..

 

[Skywalker]

Actually, the word does exist. It exists over here. Language evolves over time.

I don't know how we came to pronounce "herb" as erb/'erb, but rest assured, Brits: we still pronounce "Herbert" with the H.

 

[Alidar Jarok]

No one says Hower, they say Ower. I don't know why Erb is so nonsensical to British people.

It isn't.

It just stands out like a sore thumb when spoken by those who almost never drop an "h" as a norm.

Well, I think Herb with such a pronounced H stands out as well.

 

[Shaytan]

Bof. The English language is not that pleasant to hear and it's not very poetic but, at least, it's useful. I enjoy the consequences of being able to communicate in English but not the language itself (that's certainly why I don't try to be an expert in this language).

 

[Squiggy]

Now I just wanna talk quickly about language, and then we can all go. Yeah, language. They do say Britain and America are two countries separated by the Atlantic Ocean, and it’s true. No, they say, “two countries separated by a common language,” that’s the line; it’s an Oscar Wilde line, I think. And we do pronounce things in a different way, like you say “caterpillar” and we say “caterpillar,” and… You say “aluminum” and we say “aluminium.” You say, “centrifugal” and we say “centrifugal.” You say, “leisure” and we say “lizuray.” You say “baysil” and we say “bahsil.” You say “’erbs” and we say “herbs,” because there’s a fucking “H” in it… But you spell through THRU, and I’m with you on that, ‘cause we spell it “THRUFF,” and that’s trying to cheat at Scrabble.

Eddie Izzard

 

[Skywalker]

Bof. The English language is not that pleasant to hear and it's not very poetic but, at least, it's useful. I enjoy the consequences of being able to communicate in English but not the language itself (that's certainly why I don't try to be an expert in this language).

Well, of course a French person would say that.

Just kidding. French is actually my favorite foreign language. I wish I'd taken more than one year of it when I was in high school (I stopped after one year because I hated the teacher ).

No one says Hower, they say Ower. I don't know why Erb is so nonsensical to British people.

It isn't.

It just stands out like a sore thumb when spoken by those who almost never drop an "h" as a norm.

Well, I think Herb with such a pronounced H stands out as well.

Yeah, "herb" with a heavy H sound just seems weird to me.

 

[Shaytan]

Well, of course a French person would say that.

I'm doing my best to be a bad cliché