# You are not French! Pronounce the "h"! (lame rant) **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [April 28, 2003, 1:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-are-not-french-pronounce-the-h-lame-rant/171571 "2003-04-28T01:37:49Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 15\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Duke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e8c25b/32.png) [@Duke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duke)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2003, 11:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-are-not-french-pronounce-the-h-lame-rant/171571/41 "2003-04-28T23:47:23Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Apollyon \* > **(I note that Websters lists “Rockville Centre” as a proper name, so some historical usage of the british variant appears to persist in the US).** Right you are. Rockville Centre (correct spelling) is a commuter town near New York City. Actually there are several instances of “Centre” appearing as a place name in the US–I was born in Centre County, PA, myself. One word of advice to those who insist that “colour,” “honour,” etc. are the original and therefore “correct” spellings. During my time in England I was writing a thesis on the 16th-century Bible and had occasion to read several printed works dating from the period between 1520 to 1550 in England. Although spelling wasn’t always standardized, “honor” and “labor” were almost always spelled _without_ the “u.” The “u” spellings came some time later on. Originality in spelling is never clear-cut. ---
**Author:** ![mhendo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mhendo/32/3159_2.png) [@mhendo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mhendo)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2003, 12:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-are-not-french-pronounce-the-h-lame-rant/171571/42 "2003-04-29T00:06:20Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by FranticMad \* > \*\*The fact that this thread is posted in the Pit, as well as the general tenor of Super G-nat’s post, makes the whole _raison d’être_ of the thread to be derision of people who speak a different style of English. My suggestion, made somewhat heavy-handedly perhaps, is that Mr. G-nat go out and see the world, as I suspect his/her annoyances are based on ignorance of said world. > > If he wanted a non-derisive response to his ignorance, he could post in IMHO or General Questions where I would treat him/her with the civility which you think he/she deserves. I, however, think that advertising one’s own ignorance in the Pit deserves a slight textual slap. \*\* You’re right, and i withdraw my criticism. Not specifically because this is the Pit; i believe that civil discussion can and should be carried on here at times. Rather, it had escaped my attention that _SuperGnat_ was the OP, and if you’re going to open your own thread with a diatribe against people who use “incorrect” grammar and pronunciation, then you’re fair game for others who want to take you on. > [@](#): > > _Originally posted by Apollyon_ > **Centre? > Through? > Armour** You’ll have to excuse my ignorance here, but since when has “through” (as a preposition, at least) been incorrect or non-standard in America? Unless, of course, you are implying that “thru” is correct, and that “through” is a needless variant? If so, i take strong exception. ---
**Author:** ![Fretful\_Porpentine](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fretful_porpentine/32/2873_2.png) [@Fretful\_Porpentine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fretful_Porpentine)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2003, 12:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-are-not-french-pronounce-the-h-lame-rant/171571/43 "2003-04-29T00:13:23Z")
> [@](#): > > Centre? > Through? > Armour? “Through” is the standard spelling in American English. What alternate spelling did you think we used? ---
**Author:** ![Myrr21](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e495f1/32.png) [@Myrr21](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Myrr21)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2003, 12:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-are-not-french-pronounce-the-h-lame-rant/171571/44 "2003-04-29T00:35:59Z")
Man, I hope Castle Anthrax isn’t located near Boston, or Super Gnat’s gonna self-defenestrate. My favorites are “uge” and “umongous”. ---
**Author:** ![Morelin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b5e925/32.png) [@Morelin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morelin)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2003, 1:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-are-not-french-pronounce-the-h-lame-rant/171571/45 "2003-04-29T01:28:54Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Apollyon \* > \*\* (I note that Websters lists “Rockville Centre” as a proper name, so some historical usage of the british variant appears to persist in the US). \*\* [hi-jack] Rockville Centre is a small town on Long Island, NY. (hmmm, should that instead be \* in \* LI, NY? But that doesn’t sound right either. Oh well) New york is not really known for it’s British population. [/hi-jack] ---
**Author:** ![FranticMad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/c68b51/32.png) [@FranticMad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FranticMad)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2003, 3:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-are-not-french-pronounce-the-h-lame-rant/171571/46 "2003-04-29T03:08:04Z")
And somewhere in these United States people say “yuman” instead of “human”. ---
**Author:** ![Apollyon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/apollyon/32/4238_2.png) [@Apollyon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Apollyon)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2003, 5:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-are-not-french-pronounce-the-h-lame-rant/171571/47 "2003-04-29T05:55:47Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Fretful Porpentine \* > \*\*“Through” is the standard spelling in American English. What alternate spelling did you think we used? \*\* Right you are… Websters does list _thru_ as a variant, but, as you say, states the standard form to be _through_. I was being mislead by only ever seeing _thru_ written by folks from the US. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![DarrenS](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/977dab/32.png) [@DarrenS](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DarrenS)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2003, 6:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-are-not-french-pronounce-the-h-lame-rant/171571/48 "2003-04-29T06:36:38Z")
I was under the impression that in the US, _theater_ is used for ‘movie theaters’ (where the masses go) whereas a _theatre_ is the place where plays are performed - hence the “refined” spelling. Mandatory loosely-related [Python](http://www.ibras.dk/montypython/episode16.htm) quote. > [@](#): > > Mr Chigger You’re on a wire. > Mr Anemone I’ll show you whether I’m on a wire or not. Give me the 'oop. > Mr Chigger What? > Mr Anemone Oh, I don’t suppose we know what an ‘oop is. I suppose pater thought they were a bit common, except on the bleedin’ croquet lawn. > Mr Chigger Oh, a hoop. > Mr Anemone ‘Oh an hoop.’ ---
**Author:** ![mhendo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mhendo/32/3159_2.png) [@mhendo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mhendo)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2003, 1:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-are-not-french-pronounce-the-h-lame-rant/171571/49 "2003-04-29T13:14:31Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Apollyon \* > \*\*Right you are… Websters does list _thru_ as a variant, but, as you say, states the standard form to be _through_. > > I was being mislead by only ever seeing _thru_ written by folks from the US. 🙂 \*\* Actually, the US government and the bureaucracy might be partly responsible for this. _A Dictionary of Modern American Usage_ has this to say: > [@](#): > > **thru,** a variant spelling of _through_, should be shunned. Oddly, it appears in parts of the Internal Revenue Code. ---
**Author:** ![matt\_mcl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7ab992/32.png) [@matt\_mcl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/matt_mcl)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2003, 1:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-are-not-french-pronounce-the-h-lame-rant/171571/50 "2003-04-29T13:42:09Z")
I always understood “theater” in the States to be a building, but “theatre” to be the art form. ---
**Author:** ![Terminus\_Est](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terminus_est/32/3087_2.png) [@Terminus\_Est](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Terminus_Est)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2003, 2:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-are-not-french-pronounce-the-h-lame-rant/171571/51 "2003-04-29T14:37:48Z")
“Theatre” is used in the US if you want to be hoity-toity, artsy-fartsy. ---
**Author:** ![gotpasswords](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c57346/32.png) [@gotpasswords](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gotpasswords)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2003, 4:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-are-not-french-pronounce-the-h-lame-rant/171571/52 "2003-04-29T16:13:38Z")
“Theatre” has alway struck me as a pretentious way to spell theater. As in “After the maid puts the roses in the vahz we will go to the thee-ah-tah” My friends in the scenery and lighting world call the building a theater and the performance genre is also theater. Likewise “Centre” Shopping malls trying to be hoity-toity about their merchants call themselvs Centres. The basic rule seems to be: If there’s an Orange Julius stand or a Radio Shack, it can’t be a Centre. And Yumans are people unfortunate enough to be living in the bottom southwest corner of Arizona. ---
**Author:** ![Infectious\_Lass](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/e56c9b/32.png) [@Infectious\_Lass](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Infectious_Lass)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2003, 5:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-are-not-french-pronounce-the-h-lame-rant/171571/53 "2003-04-29T17:49:24Z")
Can I just say, I also find it really annoying the way Americans say ‘herbs’ 'erbs. For the love of God, American people! Pronounce that word properly! It is pronounced **H** erbs. HERBS. As Eddie Izzard says, it has a blinking h in it! Quit using that brain splattingly annoying pseudo French pronunciation already! You are Annoying ME! Ooo I’m off to throw a cuddly toy across the room in frustration now x) ---
**Author:** ![Alma](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecd19e/32.png) [@Alma](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alma)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2003, 1:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-are-not-french-pronounce-the-h-lame-rant/171571/54 "2003-04-30T01:43:41Z")
Every movie theater I’ve ever worked for (and there have been many) spells it _theatre_. So when referring to the specific place, I (and my coworkers) spell it _theatre_, but when writing of cinema houses in general we’d put movie _theater_. On my resume it looks like I don’t know how to spell. ---
**Author:** ![Kaitlyn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/73ab20/32.png) [@Kaitlyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kaitlyn)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2003, 7:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-are-not-french-pronounce-the-h-lame-rant/171571/55 "2003-04-30T07:56:55Z")
> [@](#): > > And somewhere in these United States people say “yuman” instead of “human”. There are places where those are different? You must be one of those who insist that caught and cot, whale and wail, marry and merry, are pronounced differently. Where I live, I believe I’m the only person I know for whom hour and our are homophones, but are and our aren’t. Getting bent out of shape over minor differences in regional dialects is silly. Well, except for using “uh” to mean “going to”. Bugs the hell out of me. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-are-not-french-pronounce-the-h-lame-rant/171571.md?page=2)