How did I not know this?

Hammer89

I've been reading up a lot about parsley in recent days because I'm as bloated as bodies that get fished out of rivers and I need to lose water weight. And it turns out parsley helps you cleanse your system. It's a natural diuretic and when you consume enough of it, you piss like mad. I know, amazing. But that's not what I want to talk about.

What I want to talk about is the fact [?] that the H in herbs is silent!

I think it is because I watched a YouTube video and some Australian lady pronounced it 'erb'. I put it down to the fact she was Australian at the start, but then another lady, this time from the United States, described herself as an 'erbalist'. In fact the video title starts with the words 'An herbalist' which makes no sense - at least, that's what I thought, but it does if it's silent, which I think it is.

How did I reach my early 30s without knowing this?

Rhythmics

They also say "Aluminum", don't worry yourself too much.

dxhound2005

I Honestly never knew that up to this very Hour.

Tzardine

Anyone who pronounces it as 'erb' is wrong and should be given a swift kick to the pancreas.

In situations like this, if you are in doubt as to the correct pronunciation you need to look to the Brits - the people who invented the language.

It's Herb.

dxhound2005

Tzardine wrote: »

Anyone who pronounces it as 'erb' is wrong and should be given a swift kick to the pancreas.

In situations like this, if you are in doubt as to the correct pronunciation you need to look to the Brits - the people who invented the language.

It's Herb.

They added on the H pronunciation long after the word went over to America. The Americans have remained true to the original French pronunciation.

silliussoddius

I thought the kidneys “cleanse” the system.

chooseusername

An 'erb in a herb garden

Tzardine

dxhound2005 wrote: »

They added on the H pronunciation long after the word went over to America. The Americans have remained true to the original French pronunciation.

Its a different word in French (herbe) and so the H is indeed silent.

But we are talking about the English pronunciation, and the H has been hard for over 1000 years.

The Americans can go and sHite.

volchitsa

dxhound2005 wrote: »

They added on the H pronunciation long after the word went over to America. The Americans have remained true to the original French pronunciation.

Yeah but we don't say "istory" or "orrible" or any number of other words that come from French where the H is silent. We're speaking English, not French.

volchitsa

Tzardine wrote: »

Its a different word in French (herbe) and so the H is indeed silent.

But we are talking about the English pronunciation, and the H has been hard for over 1000 years.

The Americans can go and sHite.

Snap

EmmetSpiceland

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3VdN-2RYPKg

RobbingBandit

Center center CENTER!!!!!


It's Centre you damn yanks and your reverse words and U less Colour damn you all to hell

dxhound2005

volchitsa wrote: »

Yeah but we don't say "istory" or "orrible" or any number of other words that come from French where the H is silent. We're speaking English, not French.

We are writing in English, and we need phonetics to describe pronunciation.

Pronunciation
(UK, General Australian, General New Zealand) enPR: hû(r)b, IPA(key): /hɜːb/

(US, Canada) enPR: (h)ûrb, IPA(key): /(h)ɝb/

Dictionaries are useful things to dispel the notion that every word can only have one spelling, one definition and one pronunciation. English has thousands of examples to show the nonsense of that idea.

silliussoddius

dxhound2005 wrote: »

We are writing in English, and we need phonetics to describe pronunciation.

Pronunciation
(UK, General Australian, General New Zealand) enPR: hû(r)b, IPA(key): /hɜːb/

(US, Canada) enPR: (h)ûrb, IPA(key): /(h)ɝb/

Dictionaries are useful things to dispel the notion that every word can only have one spelling, one definition and one pronunciation. English has thousands of examples to show the nonsense of that idea.

The most fonetic word of all.

StemCell

Hammer89 wrote: »

I'm as bloated as bodies that get fished out of rivers and I need to lose water weight

"Water weight" is a new one...at least if it's applied to males.

Hammer89

Hammer89 wrote: »

I've been reading up a lot about parsley in recent days because I'm as bloated as bodies that get fished out of rivers and I need to lose water weight. And it turns out parsley helps you cleanse your system. It's a natural diuretic and when you consume enough of it, you piss like mad. I know, amazing. But that's not what I want to talk about.

What I want to talk about is the fact [?] that the H in herbs is silent!

I think it is because I watched a YouTube video and some Australian lady pronounced it 'erb'. I put it down to the fact she was Australian at the start, but then another lady, this time from the United States, described herself as an 'erbalist'. In fact the video title starts with the words 'An herbalist' which makes no sense - at least, that's what I thought, but it does if it's silent, which I think it is.

How did I reach my early 30s without knowing this?

If you are retaining fluid, I'd also recommend tea. You probably already know that tea is a diuretic, but it is better than anything else; it is fairly miraculous. We give tea to horses who have capped hocks or have sustained other damage resulting in oedema. A little-known fact about horses is that they go mental for tea. More importantly, it removes built-up fluid in a flash.

On the H-point. The H is pronounced. Ignore Americans, they don't know what they're talking about. It's "an herb" but it isn't "an 'erb" I don't know the reason, I only know the rule.

Hope this 'elps.

Leg End Reject

"A herb" here because we pronounce the H. "An herb" for those who don't pronounce the H.

We say "An hour" because the H is silent, so it sounds like it begins with the vowel O.

dxhound2005

Af an our. Half with a silent H and a silent L.

Taeholic

RobbingBandit wrote: »

Center center CENTER!!!!!


It's Centre you damn yanks and your reverse words and U less Colour damn you all to hell

It drives me crazy too, why do they remove the U? What do they have against the letter?

Jequ0n

Maybe you should all embrace “erb” (which it should be) to distance yourselves from your British neighbours?

Leg End Reject

Taeholic wrote: »

It drives me crazy too, why do they remove the U? What do they have against the letter?

One could argue that phonetic spelling makes more sense, but all the Zs irk me.

Jequ0n

Leg End Reject wrote: »

One could argue that phonetic spelling makes more sense, but all the Zs irk me.

Scrabble makers are behind it

Taeholic

Leg End Reject wrote: »

One could argue that phonetic spelling makes more sense, but all the Zs irk me.

That's a valid point and yes the Zs bother me too.

volchitsa

volchitsa wrote: »

Yeah but we don't say "istory" or "orrible" or any number of other words that come from French where the H is silent. We're speaking English, not French.

How do you pronounce cafe? Cafe or caf-ay.

StemCell

StemCell wrote: »

"Water weight" is a new one...at least if it's applied to males.

"I'm retaining water"

"You're retaining fu*king pizza"

- - Billy Connolly

What’s much more interesting than the herb erb debate is scone/scon. Because in the U.K., that’s not even regional ie north south. It’s hyper local. Different towns and classes, all mixed together, pronounce it differently.

Of course it’s not scon. That’s ridiculous.

dxhound2005

I asked the maid in dulcet tone
To order me a buttered scone;
The silly girl has been and gone
And ordered me a buttered scone.

Leg End Reject

Leg End Reject wrote: »

"A herb" here because we pronounce the H. "An herb" for those who don't pronounce the H.

We say "An hour" because the H is silent, so it sounds like it begins with the vowel O.

Is there a distinction between written and spoken text, I wonder?

Some people pronounce the H in "an herb", "an historian", and "an hour" very slightly. Slightly audible, but it's there.

I was taught that you treat the letter H as if it were a vowel, when writing. But even in spoken language, you do hear it.

Buddy Bubs

Tzardine wrote: »

Anyone who pronounces it as 'erb' is wrong and should be given a swift kick to the pancreas.

In situations like this, if you are in doubt as to the correct pronunciation you need to look to the Brits - the people who invented the language.

It's Herb.

Don't ask the Brits. They have a silent H in the letter H

Leg End Reject

A Lamb Named Miltiades! wrote: »

Is there a distinction between written and spoken text, I wonder?

Some people pronounce the H in "an herb", "an historian", and "an hour" very slightly. Slightly audible, but it's there.

I was taught that you treat the letter H as if it were a vowel, when writing. But even in spoken language, you do hear it.

Do you stay in an hotel or a hotel when away on an holiday or a holiday?

Say my name

My mother has a folk "cure" that's been passed down the generations involving plants and prayer.

She's as Irish as Irish can be. But her maiden name would have French origins.

Anyway she calls them "erbs".

Leg End Reject

Leg End Reject wrote: »

Do you stay in an hotel or a hotel when away on an holiday or a holiday?

Would go to an hotel, but only when on a holiday.

That's inconsistent. None of us would ever say "an holiday".

Would you say "a historian" or "an historian"? I think most people would say the latter, and would also pronounce the letter H. It's an odd one.

Leg End Reject

A Lamb Named Miltiades! wrote: »

Would go to an hotel, but only when on a holiday.

That's inconsistent. None of us would ever say "an holiday".

Would you say "a historian" or "an historian"? I think most people would say the latter, and would also pronounce the letter H. It's an odd one.

'A' for hotel, holiday and historian. I only use 'an' if the H is silent.

Holy Duck

volchitsa wrote:

Yeah but we don't say "istory" or "orrible" or any number of other words that come from French where the H is silent. We're speaking English, not French.

Del Boy would beg to differ, bloody ell olchitsa!!

Leg End Reject

Holy Duck wrote: »

Del Boy would beg to differ, bloody ell olchitsa!!

Mange tout.

dxhound2005

Leg End Reject wrote: »

'A' for hotel, holiday and historian. I only use 'an' if the H is silent.

If you say An Otel the H is silent.

Allinall

OP, why don't you change your username to Ammer89 ?

the beer revolu

The English don't, exclusively, say "h erb". Northerners pronounce it "erb".

Hammer89

Allinall wrote: »

OP, why don't you change your username to Ammer89 ?

More like Spanner89 if I didn't know it was pronounced erb

Hammer89

Anyway leaving aside the phonetic arguments, I can confirm that parsley tea can and does make you piss quite a lot.

I can also confirm I woke up this morning still bloated but it was probably the chipper I ate after the tea

fryup

here's another one for you OP, asparagus makes your wee smell of eh asparagus

razorblunt

Rhythmics wrote: »

They also say "Aluminum", don't worry yourself too much.

It appears as aluminum and aluminium in the documents around its first extraction. They chose the typo and ran with it!

Allinall

Hammer89 wrote: »

Anyway leaving aside the phonetic arguments, I can confirm that parsley tea can and does make you piss quite a lot.

I can also confirm I woke up this morning still bloated but it was probably the chipper I ate after the tea

Not to drag the thread off topic too much, but why the hell does "phonetic" not start with "f"?

dxhound2005

If you think that is a bit mad, just be grateful you don't live in South Africa.

New Home

If this is a thread about pronunciation, then fine. But it's about parsley and its benefits, be very careful if you're pregnant because it can cause miscarriages.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parsley#Precautions

Hammer89

New Home wrote: »

If this is a thread about pronunciation, then fine. But it's about parsley and its benefits, be very careful if you're pregnant because it can cause miscarriages.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parsley#Precautions

More like piscarraiges because I haven't stopped :pac:

New Home

Wait until you discover dandelion tea...

893bet

****ing windmills rotate orientation at the top.

**** me. I assume the were just facing the prevailing wind direction in an area. Rarely been up close or thought about it but passed near a few recently and noticed them changed different days,

How ****ing obvious.

Embarrassed engineer.