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）
In today’s digital age, every click and swipe generates data, and the need for reliable and efficient data management has become critical. This is where data centers come into play. Data centers include servers, storage drives, networking equipment, and other hardware to manage, process, and store vast amounts of digital information. __1__ For that reason, some companies are pursuing an unusual idea: placing data centers under the surface of the ocean. What makes underwater data centers cheaper than traditional land-based ones? For one thing, the cool temperature of the ocean means that companies can cut down on the high cost of
A: Apart from BTS’ J-Hope and EXO’s Xiumin, Hong Kong singer Eason Chan is holding six concerts in Kaohsiung. B: And versatile British musician Jacob Collier is visiting Taiwan for the first time, performing in New Taipei City tonight. A: US singer Lauv and rock band LANY will also stage individual shows in Kaohsiung next week. B: Plus, Singaporean singer JJ Lin will hold two concerts at the Taipei Dome in early June. A: Which show are you going to? A: 除了BTS的J-Hope和EXO的Xiumin，香港歌王陳奕迅正在高雄熱唱6場。 B: 而多才多藝的英國歌手雅各柯里爾首度訪台，今晚即將在新北開唱！ A: 美國歌手洛夫、搖滾樂團藍尼下週也分別在高雄演出。 B: 此外新加坡歌王林俊傑則將於6月初，首次挑戰台北大巨蛋嗨唱兩場。 A: 你想去聽誰的演唱會？ （By Eddy Chang, Taipei Times／台北時報張迪）
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1. 我不夠快。 ˇ I wasn’t fast enough. χ I wasn’t enough fast. 註：enough用作副詞時，一般放在它修飾的形容詞或其他副詞後面。例如： The tea is hot enough.（茶是夠熱。） He did not work hard enough.（他不夠用功。） 但enough用作形容詞時，前置或後置都可以。例如： There is enough food (/food enough) for us. 2. 今晚七時我們將開董事會。 ˇ We are having a board meeting at seven o’clock this evening. ˇ We are having a board meeting this evening, at seven o’clock. χ We are having a board meeting this evening at seven o’clock. 註：如果有多個時間副詞，一般單位大的放在單位小的後面。例如： I was born in May 1939. The meeting was held at five o’clock yesterday afternoon. 但如果大的單位是說話者強調的重點，則可以放在前面，但後面要有逗號，表示停頓。例如： He arrived yesterday afternoon, at about five o’clock. 3. 我生於麻州波士頓。 ˇ I was born in Boston, Massachusetts. χ I was born in Massachusetts, Boston. 註：一般而言，地點副詞的位置，範圍大的放在範圍小的後面。例如： Before
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