Herb and Basil are men’s names. Herb is also the name of a herbaceous plant; basil is a kind of herb. In British English, the men’s names and the herb are pronounced identically. In American English, “herb” for the plant drops the “h”; “basil” as an herb has a long “a,” so it is pronounced differently from the name.
The word “herb” comes from the Old French erbe, which became herbe in Modern French, gaining the “h” from the Latin original (herba) but not the “h” sound. British English followed suit until the 19th century, when the “h” sound started to be pronounced; American English inherited the French pronunciation and stuck with it.
Sticking with words inherited from the French, courgette (meaning “small gourd” in French), aubergine and coriander are the British English alternatives for zucchini (from Italian), eggplant (from its appearance) and cilantro (from Spanish), respectively, used in American English. In the US, cilantro is the name for the leaves and stem of the plant; coriander the name for its dried seeds. In British English, the latter are called coriander seeds, to differentiate them from the leaves.
In addition to the different pronunciation of the herb basil between British and American English, the two have different stress for the word “oregano.” In British English, “oregano” has the stress on the third vowel; in US English, the stress is on the second.
(Paul Cooper, Taipei Times)
Herb（賀柏）和Basil（巴佐）是男性的名字，herb（藥草）亦泛指某一類草本植物，Basil（羅勒）則是其中一種。在英式英文中，herb這個字當人名和藥草時的發音相同。在美式英文中，herb當藥草時字母「h」的音會省略；basil這個字當羅勒時字母「a」的音會拉長，跟名字唸法有所差異。
英文字「herb」源自於古代法文的「erbe」，這個字已演變為現代法文的「herbe」，雖然拼字上受其拉丁字源（herba）影響多了一個「h」，不過並不發音。英式英文便依循此規，直到十九世紀才開始發出「h」音；美式英文承繼原來的法式唸法，並堅持到今日。
在英式英文中堅持法式傳統的字還有︰courgette（法文的小葫蘆）、aubergine（茄子）、coriander（香菜、芫荽）。這些字在美式英文中分別稱為︰zucchini（美洲南瓜，源自義大利文）、eggplant（茄子，源自外形）、cilantro（香菜、芫荽，源自西班牙文）。在美國，cilantro是指香菜的葉與莖，coriander是指其乾燥的種子。在英國，香菜種子叫coriander seeds以和香菜葉有所區隔。
除了藥草／羅勒在英式和美式英文中發音不同，另一種草本植物oregano（牛至）在兩者中重音亦不同︰「oregano」一字以英式英文發音，重音是在第三個母音；若以美式英文發音，其重音則是在第二個母音。
（台北時報張聖恩譯）
Many consumers are guilty of filling drawers or closets with old laptops, cellphones, fitness trackers and other electronic devices once they are no longer needed. It’s hard to know where to recycle such items, or it seems costly and inconvenient to do so. The world generates millions of tons of electronic waste — also called e-waste — each year. According to the UN’s most recent estimate, people worldwide produced 62 million metric tons of e-waste in 2022, and only about 22 percent of it was properly recycled. The US’ Environmental Protection Agency estimates that less than a quarter of e-waste is
You’re sitting in class when a classmate asks to borrow a pencil. It seems like a small favor, so you agree without hesitation. The following week, the same classmate asks to share your notes. Later, they request help with a group project. You agree each time — after all, you helped out the first time — but before you know it, it has become automatic. This scenario demonstrates the “foot-in-the-door technique,” a psychological concept that shows how agreeing to small, acceptable demands makes it easier to accept larger ones later on. The name for this strategy comes from door-to-door
A: The four-day Tomb Sweeping Day long weekend begins Friday and will run until Monday. Are you going to sweep your ancestors’ tombs? B: I did in advance last weekend, so I can go to Kaohsiung to see the musical “The Phantom of the Opera.” A: Wow, is “Phantom” touring Taiwan again? It debuted in 1986, so this year marks the 40th anniversary of the show. B: And it’s not just touring Kaohsiung starting March 31, but also Taipei starting April 21 and Taichung starting May 26. A: “Phantom” is one of the world’s Four Major Musicals. I’ve seen all of them, except “Les
Dos & Don’ts — 想想看，這句話英語該怎麼說？ 1. 我們很早到達電影院。 ˇ We arrived at the theater very early. χ We arrived the theater very early. 註︰arrive 為不及物動詞，後面如果有受詞要用 at 或 in。例如：They arrived in Taipei yesterday.。一般大地方，如國家、省、大城市等前面用 in，凡小地方城鎮、學校等則用 at。 2. 開車半小時以後，我們到達了海灘。 ˇ After half an hour’s drive, we got to the beach. χ After half an hour’s drive, we got the beach. 註︰come, go, get（來、去、到達）某地時，在表示地點的名詞前面應該用 to，如 go to school, go to Taipei, come to Shanghai 等。如果這些動詞後面所跟的是 here, there, home 等副詞，則不用 to。 3. 明天我會回辦公室。 ˇ I will be back in the office tomorrow. χ I will be back to office tomorrow. 註︰to be back 一語裡的 back 是副詞，不是介詞，所以後面要用 at (the market) 或 in (the office)。 假如假期結束，要回學校上課了則可說： ? Kids will be back
RSS