h at rb (was oh-MAHZH)

[Jessie Emerson]

> The dictionary I checked (Random House) lists the pronunciation of herb as
> ("urb", and "hurb, esp. British). I've heard more people around here, use
> "hurb" than in the past.
>
> Allen
> maberry at u.washington.edu

If you watch Martha Stewart on television, you know that she says /h at rb/.
I've seen a couple of written articles in which she is ridiculed (what a
shock) for saying it, and at least one in which she defends her
pronunciation.  If there is an increased usage of /h at rb/, I think that
Martha on T.V. may be the reason, or one of the reasons.

Jessie