herb

[sagehen]

Lynne Murphy  writes:
>My next question:  does anyone/any region in the US use the Brit
pronunciation of 'herb' (with the /h/), and which pronunciation is
prevalent in Canada?<

FWIW, I grew up (Lincoln, Nebraska) in the 30's, saying "herb" with an
aitch, but can't really say whether that pronunciation was characteristic
of the region.  My parents were university people who had come from
Missouri and Ohio. /Herb/ probably didn't figure much in the conversations
of my childhood outside of the family kitchen.  Living on the West Coast in
the late 40's & and 50's, I began to be aware that "erb" was the prevailing
pronunciation. That was also true in Ohio in the 60's.  It wasn't until
moving up here to within reach of Canadian radio that I began to hear the
aitch in "herb"again, and it felt like coming home.
A. Murie

A&M Murie
N. Bangor NY
sagehen at westelcom.com