`H' an ingredient of modern herb Explore This Story How bland
our turkey stuffing would taste without herbs – but why do some
Canadians pronounce herb's "h," and others don't? From about
1200, when it was adopted from French, until about 1500, the
word was "erb," without an "h" to say. The "h" was added during
the Renaissance when people felt that English spellings should
reflect Latin word origins. Yet the British did not start
pronouncing the "h" until the late 19th century, when compulsory
education taught spelling and pronunciation reflected the word's
letters. To this day, Americans, and about 50 per cent of
Canadians, retained the older pronunciation. Katherine Barber
can be reached at - York U students create comics to raise
awareness about sexual violence - NDP wants RCMP to investigate
if Harper had role in spending scandal - Red Wings gain upper
hand with win over Blackhawks - Fight looms on D-Day beaches
over wind turbines - Councillors hope to bury ‘essentially dead’
casino at vote - Justin Bieber