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English, the Language.

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).
Je joue de la a guitar. Je ne parle pas bien le Francais.

I like English, it's my mother tounge, I like that. :)
 
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).

"Bof" is a word that I think English should adopt. It has a much deeper sense of world-weary disgust than simply saying "meh" or "hmpf".
 
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 :ouch:).
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.
For me, it depends on how common such a thing is in a person's normal way of speaking. A dropped "h" doesn't sound strange to me if it's used regularly. I drop just about all my "h"s, so "erb" is the way I pronounce "herb". And therefore it doesn't stand out. Similarly, someone pronouncing the "h" in "herb" would only sound strange to me if the person usually drops their "h"s.

I don't think either way is wrong, BTW. It's all cool.
 
I know I've said this, but the Jamaicans don't get enough credit for their version of English.
 
Of course it is, breaderin. :) 'That's what I like about it.'

(Of course I understand American English way way more though, still gotta love those Jamaicans. :))
 
Sorry to disappoint anon and to extrapolate...but there are certain fundamentals re: English language. 'Herb' not 'erb' is one. You can pronounce it how you wish and whatever dialect, but it is 'herb' as written. What's the problem? Herb.
 
Cockney, they remove the H.
(My father's a Cockney, born 1939, He's has Cockney routes.)
Apart from the rhyming slang he taught me (Well spoken man, with the gift of the gab, my Dad is.) When he reminisces to his childhood, it's stuff like
"'Ow's your belly full of spots?"
"On to the Camel"
"watch out for the moggy when driving it!"
(I know what all that means.)

Cockney Silent Hs.
'Ow
'Ouse
'Ome
'Ave
'Oo (Who)
'Ot...
 
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).
Je joue de la a guitar. Je ne parle pas bien le Francais.

I like English, it's my mother tounge, I like that. :)
I like your mother's tongue too.

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Aw, language purists are just the cutest. :D

I subscribe to Picard's "this far and no further" ethos :)

I can't see the problem: herb (plant) is herb. Erb (nothing) is erb (still nothing).
I can't see the problem with pronouncing it with a silence H.


If you are going to be rigid about this you shouldn't be posting in a thread that is all about the ever-changing English language.
 
Using erbs must mean consuming the herbs, that is such a given that's it's herbs anyway no matter what's used, erbs or herbs or herbs or erbs... :p
 
FYI, the British did not begin pronouncing the "h" in "herb" until the 19th Century, according to dictionary.com.

Therefore, the lack of pronunciation of the "h" is the original form, which was preserved in American English, and the pronunciation of the "h" is an aberration introduced in British English.
 
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