Erbs!

Kittylester Your mum is absolutely right! An hotel (not pronouncing the 'h' is correct.

I believe it was pronounced ‘erbs in Shakespeare’s day, and changed afterwards

We're British and we pronounce the 'h', so it's herbs, not 'erbs.
If that lot across the pond like to retain the French pronunciation (even in words that aren't French ), I'm guessing that when they go on their 'grand tours', they visit Paree. I'll have to listen out for that on telly. Could be a while before I come across an example though might not live that long

When I was a child, some of the older generation (by which I mean my grandparents' generation) still said "an otel" instead of "a hotel" as they had been taught that some of the French words that had been incorporated into English should be pronounced in French.

I don't remember anyone talking about erbs, but that is probably because in the Glasgow area only parsley, chives and sage and onion stuffing every made their way to the table! Some people, not my family, used rosemary and thyme stuffing.

I say and write turmeric.

No, Bathseba, they go to Paris, France and Venice, Italy to distinguish these major European cities from their namesakes in the US of A!

Oh, and probably, Vienna, Austria as well, but I don't think they know that Boston, England exists!

While on the subject the Americans, or at least some of them, talk about uman beings, not human beings and I think say umane instead of humane, but I believe they teach the humanities, like we do, not the umanities in their universities.

It is herbs for goodness sake. Surely erbs is a send up!

Not a send up, just the way Americans mispronounce herbs.

I like that grandetante ?

I mean the Paris, France etc... bit!

I always remember Mia Farrow saying 'erb' in Rosemary's Baby - I was quite young and couldn't understand what she was talking about ?