americans

[kennethkdj]

why do americans say "erbs" instead of "herbs"
the do not say ouses (houses) otels (hoels) appy (happy) e.t.c. so why erbs

[squarebear]

They have different words for many things:

faucet - tap
diaper - nappy

and so on. I guess "erbs" is just another one of those.

[Quizmonster]

Although herb has been the standard spelling since the 15th century, it was also spelt erbe prior to that time. Chaucer used both erbe and herbe, for example. In addition, despite the presence of the h, the word was pronounced erb here - as Americans still do - until the 19th century. We're the ones who have changed things, not the Americans!
Also, there are still many British people who do pronounce hotel as otel. They might also pronounce historic as istoric and so forth.
I'm sure all of us of a certain age will recall the judicial voice-over to the opening credits of Ronnie Barker's Porridge...
"Norman Stanley Fletcher....you are an 'abitual criminal who accepts arrest as an occupational hazard and presumably accepts imprisonment in the same casual manner...."
My point is that an opening h can be a very movable feast!

[JonnyBoy12]

Herb is Homer Simpson's long lost brother.

[catcuddler]

lol Johnnyboy12

[Quizmonkey]

Bit of confusion here: hotel is often pronounced otel (with the a becoming an) because people perceive it as being French. In the other examples it is the stress pattern of the syllables that determines whether it's a or an (in traditional English grammars that are largely forgotten today). The rule (if I remember correctly) was that if the opening syllable is unstressed, then the indefinite article is 'an' - therefore it doesn't apply to just any old words beginning with H but does to examples such as historic, horrendous etc. - but the H is always sounded.

But I agree with the erb stuff...

[Quizmonster]

I'm not sure what the confusion is. It is the lack of stress on the opening syllable rather than any French provenance - as some claim - that matters. Hackney, hearse, homage and hostage, for example, all came to us via French, too, but I do not know of any evidence that British people - other than Cockneys etc - ever said 'ackney, 'earse, 'omage or 'ostage. It is probably because of such words that the relevance of French pronunciation has been doubted as regards the 'an (h)otel' usage.
Much more significant surely is the fact that all four of these words open with a stressed syllable which 'hotel' etc do not. It seems most probable, therefore, that stress-pattern is far more important than French origin in this matter. The final nail in the coffin of �The French Connection' is the fact that Fowler's Modern English Usage does not even mention a French factor here. On the other hand, it does indicate the relevance of the unstressed opening.