Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Nevertheless the language is English, you know from England, I think the English should pronounce their language how the hell they want! In fact whatever 'noise' comes out of an Englishman its going to be 'English' is it not?
I think using the term "English" for the language shared by most folks in Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, Australia (Australian English), the Bahamas, Barbados, Bermuda, Belize (Belizean Kriol), the British Indian Ocean Territory, the British Virgin Islands, Canada (Canadian English), the Cayman Islands, the Falkland Islands, Gibraltar, Grenada, Guam, Guernsey (Channel Island English), Guyana, Ireland (Hiberno-English), Isle of Man (Manx English), Jamaica (Jamaican English), Jersey, Montserrat, Nauru, New Zealand (New Zealand English), Pitcairn Islands, Saint Helena, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Singapore, South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands, Trinidad and Tobago, the Turks and Caicos Islands, the United Kingdom, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and the United States is akin to using the term "American" without really taking into consideration that there's a whole lot more to "America" than just the United States of America.
Claiming that English is "from" England when it's so clearly a glorious hodgepodge of the various languages of people who conquered the British Isles over the centuries, is about like saying BBQ is a US invention just because we happen to make some great BBQ over here. We do have some fantastic BBQ, with distinctly "American" flavor and method combinations, but those flavors and methods have their roots in many other cultures, just as the "English" language does.
Yes, the English colonized a lot of far flung countries which resulted in the language being spread, but they were colonized themselves and much of the English language is a result of being overrun by other nations and cultures over and over and over again.
I also find the American pronunciation of herb unusual.
They should enunciate the initial 'h' as the English do in herb, and just as they do in honour and hour. At least the English are consistent.
Just to be contrary, my MIL, an American, always said herb. With the "H". So it's not universal to not pronounce the first letter of that word over here.
Also, on the English side of my family, from Yorkshire, my grandfather was 'Enry. His son was "Arry" and his grandson was "Young Arry". And dh's most usual expression is "bluddy 'ell". Sorry if that's obscene but I have to hear it all the time!!!!!!!!! That's from the north of England where people tend to drop the letter "h".
Probably all based upon where the different people originated from.
I also find the American pronunciation of herb unusual.
They should enunciate the initial 'h' as the English do in herb, and just as they do in honour and hour. At least the English are consistent.
Not sure what you mean - Americans do not say the "h" in "honor" or "hour." Nor do most (all?) British either for that matter. But they do throw in that "h" on "herbs!"
Maybe you're just kidding. I hope so!
The English are definitely NOT "consistent" when it comes to pronunciation, any more than Americans are. They're just weird about different words.
And that's OK.
Hey, speaking of "correct" phonetic speaking - how do the British say "sword?"
Nevertheless the language is English, you know from England, I think the English should pronounce their language how the hell they want! In fact whatever 'noise' comes out of an Englishman its going to be 'English' is it not?
I think using the term "English" for the language shared by most folks in Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, Australia (Australian English), the Bahamas, Barbados, Bermuda, Belize (Belizean Kriol), the British Indian Ocean Territory, the British Virgin Islands, Canada (Canadian English), the Cayman Islands, the Falkland Islands, Gibraltar, Grenada, Guam, Guernsey (Channel Island English), Guyana, Ireland (Hiberno-English), Isle of Man (Manx English), Jamaica (Jamaican English), Jersey, Montserrat, Nauru, New Zealand (New Zealand English), Pitcairn Islands, Saint Helena, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Singapore, South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands, Trinidad and Tobago, the Turks and Caicos Islands, the United Kingdom, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and the United States is akin to using the term "American" without really taking into consideration that there's a whole lot more to "America" than just the United States of America.
Claiming that English is "from" England when it's so clearly a glorious hodgepodge of the various languages of people who conquered the British Isles over the centuries, is about like saying BBQ is a US invention just because we happen to make some great BBQ over here. We do have some fantastic BBQ, with distinctly "American" flavor and method combinations, but those flavors and methods have their roots in many other cultures, just as the "English" language does.
Yes, the English colonized a lot of far flung countries which resulted in the language being spread, but they were colonized themselves and much of the English language is a result of being overrun by other nations and cultures over and over and over again.
Linguistics is such an interesting topic!
Yet every word in your post is a word...........from England and the English no? Whats the next post going to be titled....The French don't speak proper French? The Spanish don't speak proper Spanish?
Thats funny your saying that about French and other languages.. my daughter went to Rimini in Italy to work in her teens and picked up the language well after living there over a year.. After two years her Italian friend said she sounded just like them as she had picked up their accent good....However she moved to work near Naples on a farm and had to relearn the way they spoke as it was so different.
I also find the American pronunciation of herb unusual.
They should enunciate the initial 'h' as the English do in herb, and just as they do in honour and hour. At least the English are consistent.
Did you mean that the English pronounce the h in hour, or hono(u)r, or the Americans?
I don't think that either of them do, and I don't think that I've heard an American say herb, so I can't comment, but I do know that as a lifelong working class Londoner I drop aitches all over the place, "'arry ate a kilo of 'erbs in 'alf an 'our."
Quote:
Originally Posted by KathrynAragon
Not sure what you mean - Americans do not say the "h" in "honor" or "hour." Nor do most (all?) British either for that matter. But they do throw in that "h" on "herbs!"
Maybe you're just kidding. I hope so!
The English are definitely NOT "consistent" when it comes to pronunciation, any more than Americans are. They're just weird about different words.
And that's OK.
Hey, speaking of "correct" phonetic speaking - how do the British say "sword?"
Oh Christ! Promise me that you don't know someone who's pronounces the w, for me it's saud, or sord.
Quote:
Originally Posted by in_newengland
Just to be contrary, my MIL, an American, always said herb. With the "H". So it's not universal to not pronounce the first letter of that word over here.
Also, on the English side of my family, from Yorkshire, my grandfather was 'Enry. His son was "Arry" and his grandson was "Young Arry". And dh's most usual expression is "bluddy 'ell". Sorry if that's obscene but I have to hear it all the time!!!!!!!!! That's from the north of England where people tend to drop the letter "h".
Probably all based upon where the different people originated from.
As I said above, we Londoners drop our aitches, oh, and it's 'bloody 'ell.'
Quote:
Originally Posted by easthome
Yet every word in your post is a word...........from England and the English no? Whats the next post going to be titled....The French don't speak proper French? The Spanish don't speak proper Spanish?
The thought just occurred to me, I wonder if there are forums in say Ecuador, or Bolivia, where posters say, "How come people from Madrid and Valencia say things different to us?"
....Yes, the English colonized a lot of far flung countries which resulted in the language being spread, but they were colonized themselves and much of the English language is a result of being overrun by other nations and cultures over and over and over again.
Linguistics is such an interesting topic!
Apropos Kathryn's observations.
In 1969 I took my mother to Ireland for the first time in an effort to distract her from having been widowed about eight months before. Though I had been living in NYC, and she lived hundreds of miles away she did remember that I had gone to Irish language classes for a number of years...which was rather surprising.
We landed in Shannon, got a car and as there was a new (at that time) ferry service across the Shannon which would save us some time, I dashed off into Co. Clare in that direction. My knowledge of directions, places, etc. was good, but I became a bit worried at the lack of signs for the ferry on the road I was taking, which was clearly the road to the ferry terminal....and yet.
Of course, country roads in Ireland were not teeming with traffic, but at last I saw an old man and I stopped. The car windows were open, by the way. The fellow and chatted about directions to the ferry and assured that I was on the right road I got back in the car and took off.
My mother said, "I didn't imagine you could speak Irish that well!"
"Huh?"
"With that man."
"We were speaking English."
"You were not!! I could hear him. He was speaking Irish...and you were talking with him!"
I could not convince her that the conversation had been in English, and she remained angry for quite some time because I was lying to her for some reason.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
