I had been reading this (and its more common cousin “er”) for years before I saw someone point out that they’re just different spellings of “um” and “uh”. Edit:Not different pronunciations (modulo the difference in accent), for anyone who doesn’t know what amacfie and I are on about.
...but people (around me, at least, in the DC area) do say “Er...” literally, sometimes. It appears to be pronounced that way when the speaker wants to emphasize the pause, as far as I can tell.
I hear “er”, literally (rhotically), quite infrequently and I always assumed that people said it that way because of seeing “er” in written English and not knowing that it was intended to be pronounced “uh”; similarly, I’ve heard “arg” spoken by people who thought “argh” from written English was pronounced that way.
In my previous commented I restrained myself from linking to Ant Phillips’s Um & Aargh but now you’ve given me sufficient excuse. (The chorus sounds to my American ears like “um and ah”.)
’My reading of the use of “erm” here is as a replacement for “my repetition of the word taboo seems awkward in this context (since the point is we don’t share a mutual understanding of the word) but I don’t know a better word of phrasing this”.
Do the British commonly use “erm”? I didn’t know that.
I think you may have missed the point. “Erm” is just a British spelling of what Americans would spell “um.” The pronunciations are quote close. (Similarly, British writers use “er” where Americans would write “uh.”)
From Middle English, from Old Norse um, umb (“around, about”), from Proto-Germanic umbi (“around”), from Proto-Indo-European ambʰi- (“by, around”). Cognate with Old English ymbe (“around”). More at umbe.
Also, I’ve ignored the recordings—I actually can’t listen to them on this computer—but why would there be a mispronounced pronunciation guide? I mean, wouldn’t people who aren’t US speakers correct it, if they knew better? I’m not a US speaker, and I would.
ETA: apparently “hum” may come from the old English version of this—from which we also get um and hmm. Or something.
Any particular reason why you write “erm” even though (I assume) you don’t have a British accent?
I had been reading this (and its more common cousin “er”) for years before I saw someone point out that they’re just different spellings of “um” and “uh”. Edit: Not different pronunciations (modulo the difference in accent), for anyone who doesn’t know what amacfie and I are on about.
...but people (around me, at least, in the DC area) do say “Er...” literally, sometimes. It appears to be pronounced that way when the speaker wants to emphasize the pause, as far as I can tell.
I hear “er”, literally (rhotically), quite infrequently and I always assumed that people said it that way because of seeing “er” in written English and not knowing that it was intended to be pronounced “uh”; similarly, I’ve heard “arg” spoken by people who thought “argh” from written English was pronounced that way.
In my previous commented I restrained myself from linking to Ant Phillips’s Um & Aargh but now you’ve given me sufficient excuse. (The chorus sounds to my American ears like “um and ah”.)
Edit: Grumble grumble Markdown parser bug grumble grumble.
...but “argh” is pronounced that way… http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pOlKRMXvTiA :) Since the late 90s, at least.
’My reading of the use of “erm” here is as a replacement for “my repetition of the word taboo seems awkward in this context (since the point is we don’t share a mutual understanding of the word) but I don’t know a better word of phrasing this”.
Do the British commonly use “erm”? I didn’t know that.
I think you may have missed the point. “Erm” is just a British spelling of what Americans would spell “um.” The pronunciations are quote close. (Similarly, British writers use “er” where Americans would write “uh.”)
Really? I’ve always considered those distinct sounds, but then I read a lot from both sides of the Atlantic as a kid.
Here’s some evidence.
Er: http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/er#Etymology_1
Uh: http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/uh#Pronunciation
Erm: http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/erm
Um: http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/um#Etymology_1
I think the recordings at those pages are misleading, because they’re all from a US speaker. The phonetic markings are what to look at.
Um … evidence?
pronounced: /ɜː/
etymology: copying the sound people make when hesitating.
pronounced: /ʌː/
No listed etymology, but attached to a list of such sounds from various languages.
pronunciation: no phonetic markings listed; recording only.
no etymology listed, but attached to an entirely different list of such sounds in other languages.
pronounciation: /ʊm/
etymology:
Also, I’ve ignored the recordings—I actually can’t listen to them on this computer—but why would there be a mispronounced pronunciation guide? I mean, wouldn’t people who aren’t US speakers correct it, if they knew better? I’m not a US speaker, and I would.
ETA: apparently “hum” may come from the old English version of this—from which we also get um and hmm. Or something.
Exactly. As an American, I obviously prefer “er” instead.
It’s more fun? I dunno.