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    Iron Heart Fall/Winter 2025 Collection Preview - Now Live

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    • JamesMargJ
      JamesMarg
      Joined:

      Americans who say 'erbs' or 'urbs', instead of 'herbs.'
      Angers me to no end…

      last edited by 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
      • seanoconoS
        seanocono
        Joined:

        ^I've never heard an American pronounce the "h" in "herb"; unless they are speaking the shortened version of the male name Herbert. That's the way it's pronounced in America. We could be here all day arguing over regional pronounciations.

        last edited by 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
        • GilesG
          Giles
          IHUK Crew
          Joined:

          @JamesMarg:

          Americans who say 'erbs' or 'urbs', instead of 'herbs.'
          Angers me to no end…

          Read "Mother Tongue" by Bill Bryson.  One of his assertions in that book, is that American pronunciation of English is truer to the way English used to be spoken by the English than the way the English themselves now speak

          "OK face up to it - you're useless but generally pretty honest and straightforward . . . it's a rare combination of qualities that I have come to admire in you" - Geo 2011

          last edited by 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
          • Megatron1505M
            Megatron1505
            見習いボス
            Joined:

            Aluminum/ Aluminium  😶

            Made in England, clothed in Japan, fed in America and drunk in Belgium !

            last edited by 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
            • JamesMargJ
              JamesMarg
              Joined:

              Sean: Interesting, i'm sure that I have heard an American pronounce 'Herbs' with the H before… Maybe i'm dreaming.
              As I am from Australia, my first trip to America was actually the first time i have ever heard 'urbs' and I was utterly confused about what they wanted to season my steak with...

              Giles: Great point! I have read a little of Bryson's work in 'A Short History of Nearly Everything.' I would love to learn a little about ye olde English linguistics and history, I wonder why the Americans would have 'truer' pronunciation...
              There seems to be extreme variation in accent/pronunciation across England (For a small country geographically), I can see how the language has been altered by region.
              I have been all over Australia, and apart from a few state dependant colloquialisms, we all sound the same, IMO.

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              • JamesMargJ
                JamesMarg
                Joined:

                @Megatron1505:

                Aluminum/ Aluminium  😶

                Completely agree with this one too  ::)

                last edited by 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                • GilesG
                  Giles
                  IHUK Crew
                  Joined:

                  @JamesMarg:

                  I wonder why the Americans would have 'truer' pronunciation…

                  Bryson's premise is that the American culture had a very strong ethic of the Town Hall and recording the meetings held there, in great written depth,  Thus the words were written down and hence did not mutate over time as much as in England where we didn't bother recording stuff like that.

                  "OK face up to it - you're useless but generally pretty honest and straightforward . . . it's a rare combination of qualities that I have come to admire in you" - Geo 2011

                  last edited by 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                  • Megatron1505M
                    Megatron1505
                    見習いボス
                    Joined:

                    @JamesMarg:

                    @Megatron1505:

                    Aluminum/ Aluminium  😶

                    Completely agree with this one too  ::)

                    Dude I have argued that one with forum members in person and via PM, you cannot just remove a letter because you feel like it  😠

                    Made in England, clothed in Japan, fed in America and drunk in Belgium !

                    last edited by 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                    • JamesMargJ
                      JamesMarg
                      Joined:

                      Thats great to know G!
                      I find obscure information like that so interesting  🙂

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                      • JamesMargJ
                        JamesMarg
                        Joined:

                        http://www.worldwidewords.org/articles/aluminium.htm

                        You may find this interesting.
                        They are still wrong though  😠

                        last edited by 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                        • seanoconoS
                          seanocono
                          Joined:

                          James, I'm sure that some Americans do pronounce the "h". I just haven't heard it.

                          For what it's worth, I have no idea what anyone is saying in the Southeastern part of the US; so you aren't alone.

                          A good friend of mine is from Mississippi and I'm pretty sure he thinks I'm deaf. Every few sentences I respond, "what?"

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                          • JamesMargJ
                            JamesMarg
                            Joined:

                            Hahaha, oh yes, i'm sure a lot of confusion occurs with the 'Southern' accents.
                            Although not having experienced it first hand, I have watched a few television programs where the 'Hillbilly/Southerners' have to be subtitled, because nobody from outside Southern America can understand what they are saying.

                            Namely, TopGear 'U.S. Road Trip' when Clarkson attempts to find tires that fit his AMG… Ohhhh the hilarity, mixed with confusion.

                            last edited by 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                            • SeulS
                              Seul
                              Joined:

                              @JamesMarg:

                              Namely, TopGear 'U.S. Road Trip' when Clarkson attempts to find tires that fit his AMG…

                              That was a brilliant bit… "I'm gonna get the boys..."

                              last edited by 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                              • seanoconoS
                                seanocono
                                Joined:

                                I once spent a summer in Gonzalez, Louisiana and I'm pretty sure everyone thought that I had a cognitive impairment. I literally just smiled and nodded in 80% of my interactions.

                                last edited by 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                                • JamesMargJ
                                  JamesMarg
                                  Joined:

                                  Seul:
                                  Hahaha yes Seul!
                                  One of the great moments  😉

                                  Sean:
                                  I wonder if it goes the other way around, as in they can't understand a word you are saying either… Even though you are pronouncing words clearly, without jumble (I expect)
                                  Hmmm...

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                                  • seanoconoS
                                    seanocono
                                    Joined:

                                    James, I don't think anyone had issues understanding what I was saying, but I did get quite a few comments on having an accent. I grew up in Seattle, which is pretty mild in the accent department. I know one example is I pronounce "cot" and "caught" exactly the same. Same for "don" and "dawn." Supposedly, there is a clearer distinction in the eastern side of the country.

                                    California accents are the easiest, though. Just say "like" every three words.

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                                    • JamesMargJ
                                      JamesMarg
                                      Joined:

                                      Oh like totally, California is great!!
                                      😉
                                      Now… I am wondering where the pronunciation of 'Vodka' turned to 'Vakka'?
                                      That, i really don't understand...

                                      last edited by 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                                      • SeulS
                                        Seul
                                        Joined:

                                        You guys would have a ball learning Dutch in Belgium… I don't understand the people living 40 km from me in either effin direction (East, West)... In the North we have The Netherlands. Huge difference language-wise... And in the South of Belgium they speak French... Well: some kind of French... And some of the hillbillies in the mountains speak German...

                                        I'm glad I live where I do, where the dialect is juicy and I understand everything...  :-\

                                        last edited by 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                                        • seanoconoS
                                          seanocono
                                          Joined:

                                          James, "Vakka" is bad, and I can't recall hearing that one. Although, I guess I could see how someone could drop the "d" if speaking swiftly. People do it all the time with Antarctica and dropping the first "c."

                                          Sounds wild, Seul. Although, if I had daily access to all of the wonderful beer in Belgium, I would be one sloppy, slurred mess.

                                          Okay, last one and I'm done. The word "hella" is hella popular in Seattle. Every time I hear it I cringe, and I kind of hate myself for just using it as an example. It gets worse, though. Some people have adapted it to "hecka" to avoid an extremely-mild swear. If you ever hear someone use that word, do the person a favor and fatten their upper lip.

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                                          • ArabitA
                                            Arabit
                                            Joined:

                                            I pronounce comfortable as kom - for - ta - ble and believe it to be right
                                            and not
                                            komf - ter- ble (hate this for some reason)

                                            I second what seanocono says
                                            In my speech class, this girl kept saying "like" every god damn sentence for 3 minutes. It was not fun.

                                            Here in LA, I think most people go to the gym for the sake of telling others they go to one.

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