Kathleen in VA Posted July 22, 2011 Share Posted July 22, 2011 I've always heard this word pronounced sherbert (with the r) but it's spelled without an r. Just wondering what's up with that. Do most people say the r? (Oh, and yes, things are mighty slow around here.:D) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Angel Posted July 22, 2011 Share Posted July 22, 2011 SherbeRt here :D Dh always makes fun of me, but I had never heard it any other way and refuse to change ;) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
datgh Posted July 22, 2011 Share Posted July 22, 2011 What!! No R! I've been pronouncing it with the "r" my whole life and never new. :glare: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maverick_Mom Posted July 22, 2011 Share Posted July 22, 2011 I've always pronounced it with the (nonexistent) R. We had it a lot when I was growing up, and I realized as soon as I could read the words on the carton that we were pronouncing it wrong. :lol: I compounded and perpetuated the error a few years ago when we were studying the composer Franz Schubert. I added a little interest to our studies by including a snack. We called that particular study "Schubert With Sherbet" (with sherbet pronounced incorrectly). :D And I just want to thank you for starting this thread -- now I'm craving Lime Sherbet, R or no R. :tongue_smilie: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kathleen in VA Posted July 22, 2011 Author Share Posted July 22, 2011 I've always pronounced it with the (nonexistent) R. We had it a lot when I was growing up, and I realized as soon as I could read the words on the carton that we were pronouncing it wrong. :lol: I compounded and perpetuated the error a few years ago when we were studying the composer Franz Schubert. I added a little interest to our studies by including a snack. We called that particular study "Schubert With Sherbet" (with sherbet pronounced incorrectly). :D And I just want to thank you for starting this thread -- now I'm craving Lime Sherbet, R or no R. :tongue_smilie: No problem.;) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Parrothead Posted July 22, 2011 Share Posted July 22, 2011 In all my travels I've never heard sherbet pronounced without the second "r". Does the whole English speaking world pronounce it incorrectly? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dandelion Posted July 22, 2011 Share Posted July 22, 2011 I do. In contemplative moments, I've wondered about the missing "r" - but I guess I never cared enough about this "mystery" to research. Looking forward to what you find out. ;) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LaxMom Posted July 22, 2011 Share Posted July 22, 2011 Yes, but I'm a Yankee. Contrary to popular belief, we don't drop Rs, we save them for later. For instance in words like idear and spatular and sherbert. It would go against Yankee frugality to toss out all those Rs, aftah all. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Parrothead Posted July 22, 2011 Share Posted July 22, 2011 I really thought it was one of those weird things that was picked up from some other language. Kind of like dropping the "t" in sorbet. Except sherbet picked up an "r." I went to dictionary.com and sure enough, the lady that speaks when one clicks on the megaphone said it without the second "r." This is officially the new thing I learned today. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scuff Posted July 22, 2011 Share Posted July 22, 2011 I always pronounced it with an R, and my mother always corrected me. So, I obviously did'n't learn it from her! I am a yankee, also, but do not add rs to those other words. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kathleen in VA Posted July 22, 2011 Author Share Posted July 22, 2011 Yes, but I'm a Yankee. Contrary to popular belief, we don't drop Rs, we save them for later. For instance in words like idear and spatular and sherbert. It would go against Yankee frugality to toss out all those Rs, aftah all. :lol::lol: I really thought it was one of those weird things that was picked up from some other language. Kind of like dropping the "t" in sorbet. Except sherbet picked up an "r." I went to dictionary.com and sure enough, the lady that speaks when one clicks on the megaphone said it without the second "r." This is officially the new thing I learned today. Feeling ready to audtion for Jeopardy now?:D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Orthodox6 Posted July 22, 2011 Share Posted July 22, 2011 I've always pronounced it with the (nonexistent) R. We had it a lot when I was growing up, and I realized as soon as I could read the words on the carton that we were pronouncing it wrong. :lol: I compounded and perpetuated the error a few years ago when we were studying the composer Franz Schubert. I added a little interest to our studies by including a snack. We called that particular study "Schubert With Sherbet" (with sherbet pronounced incorrectly). :D And I just want to thank you for starting this thread -- now I'm craving Lime Sherbet, R or no R. :tongue_smilie: Love it! Sounds like a Peter Schickele title ! As a child, I always inserted the inauthentic "r". Only as an adult did I learn that the word lacked that consonant. The obvious next question is whether this is a regional mispronunciation. As for the substance in question, it was my rave fave as a child. Money was very tight in my family, and a Glory Day treat was to go to Dugan Drugstore and have a 5-cent cone of lime sherbet. At age 4, my beloved snuggle-pal was a stuffed rabbit which I had named Orange Sherbet. Now I don't eat sherbet anymore -- :sad: -- because all the brands contain HFCS. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Unicorn. Posted July 22, 2011 Share Posted July 22, 2011 The only person I have ever heard pronounce it w/out the 2nd r, is Martha Stewart. SherbeRt it is! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Truscifi Posted July 22, 2011 Share Posted July 22, 2011 I had no idea there was only one R! I don't care for it, so I guess I never stopped to look at a box, and everyone I have ever heard say it says the second R. Except dh apparently. He asked what I was looking at and informed that of course there is only one R in sherbet. :glare::D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest momk2000 Posted July 22, 2011 Share Posted July 22, 2011 Yes I do! Have to have that "r" in there - lol. :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DianeW88 Posted July 22, 2011 Share Posted July 22, 2011 NO!!! No second "R" in sherbet. That's like fingernails on the chalkboard, people!! Read the word....there is only one "r". Let's all pronounce it correctly now...shall we? :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LittleIzumi Posted July 22, 2011 Share Posted July 22, 2011 Mmmmmm, sherbeRt.... :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Parrothead Posted July 22, 2011 Share Posted July 22, 2011 NO!!! No second "R" in sherbet. That's like fingernails on the chalkboard, people!! Read the word....there is only one "r". Let's all pronounce it correctly now...shall we? :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LaxMom Posted July 22, 2011 Share Posted July 22, 2011 Maybe it's really sher-BAY, then. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kathleen in VA Posted July 22, 2011 Author Share Posted July 22, 2011 Maybe it's really sher-BAY, then. AACCKK!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sheryl Posted July 22, 2011 Share Posted July 22, 2011 I've always heard this word pronounced sherbert (with the r) but it's spelled without an r. Just wondering what's up with that. Do most people say the r? (Oh, and yes, things are mighty slow around here.:D) :lol::lol::lol: Funny Kathleen.....I'm with you! Thought the r thing too....but, unlike you, I've been too busy to check it out! :lol::lol::lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Word Nerd Posted July 22, 2011 Share Posted July 22, 2011 We always said sherbert. It doesn't really come up much now, but I still pronounce the R. Incidentally, my 7th grade science teacher always said serveral instead of several. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twoxcell Posted July 22, 2011 Share Posted July 22, 2011 I always heard it pronounced sherbert until I met my dh, and his family called it sherbet. I had no idea there was not a second r.;) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Desert Rat Posted July 22, 2011 Share Posted July 22, 2011 I've always said the unwritten "r" in sherbet. I'm from the midwest if you're interested in regional differences. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
littleWMN Posted July 22, 2011 Share Posted July 22, 2011 Well, we had rainbow or orange "sherbert" a lot when I was growing up. I noticed as a kid it was missing the R but that is always what my family called it. At some point I started calling it sherbet, with no R, but with my accent it sounds like "sherbit" so that's probably not any better, huh? :tongue_smilie::bigear::001_huh: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kebo Posted July 22, 2011 Share Posted July 22, 2011 I don't pronounce it with the second "R" .... but mainly because my best friend in elementary school had the last name of Sherbert. She made sure I knew the difference! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kathleen in VA Posted July 22, 2011 Author Share Posted July 22, 2011 OT a bit - but I found a sherbet with no HFCS: http://www.theimpulsivebuy.com/wordpress/2010/09/16/review-yoplait-splitz-rainbow-sherbet-low-fat-yogurt/ ETA: Sorry, just realized this is sherbet flavored yogurt. I'll go hunt some more. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yellowperch Posted July 22, 2011 Share Posted July 22, 2011 Of course it's pronounced with two Rs. Who would even want sherrrrbit? I can't even force myself to say it without the second r. Shibbit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dangermom Posted July 22, 2011 Share Posted July 22, 2011 NO!!! No second "R" in sherbet. That's like fingernails on the chalkboard, people!! Read the word....there is only one "r". Let's all pronounce it correctly now...shall we? :D But how do you pronounce it if you drop the second R? That's what I want to know; I've always wondered. Is it shure-bet or sher-bey or what? Besides, everyone says sherbert. Including me. :tongue_smilie: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yellowperch Posted July 22, 2011 Share Posted July 22, 2011 Maybe I'll just order sorbet the next time. wait: there's a "t" in that word!!!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NanceXToo Posted July 22, 2011 Share Posted July 22, 2011 I've always pronounced it "sherbert" growing up (I grew up in NY and always heard it said that way). I can actually remember being quite surprised as an adult when I saw it spelled and realized there WAS no second "r" and then wondered if I'd been pronouncing it wrong my whole life heh. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Woodhaven Posted July 22, 2011 Share Posted July 22, 2011 I grew up in Chicago. I have always heard and said "sherbert". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kathleen in VA Posted July 22, 2011 Author Share Posted July 22, 2011 It looks like the vast majority mispronounce it. Interesting. I wonder if it is the most mispronounced word in the English language. Hmmm... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brenda in FL Posted July 22, 2011 Share Posted July 22, 2011 Webster's Ninth New Collegiate Dictionary from 1985 has two entries under Sherbet: 1) sher-bet (those are supposed shwas) which is a drink and 2) sher-bert which is the frozen concoction we all love. Our children's dictionary has it only as sher-biht The online version does list sherbert as a variation. Interesting . . . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kathleen in VA Posted July 22, 2011 Author Share Posted July 22, 2011 My OED only has sherbet with a short i at the end. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
arghmatey Posted July 22, 2011 Share Posted July 22, 2011 No, but my XMIL does. Once I was telling her about how much I enjoy sherbet. She showed everyone present what a doll she is when she pulled out the dictionary to correct me. It was delightful. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kathleen in VA Posted July 22, 2011 Author Share Posted July 22, 2011 No, but my XMIL does. Once I was telling her about how much I enjoy sherbet. She showed everyone present what a doll she is when she pulled out the dictionary to correct me. It was delightful. Oh my. She actually pulled out a dictionary? That's just crazy. :tongue_smilie: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JudoMom Posted July 22, 2011 Share Posted July 22, 2011 NO!!! No second "R" in sherbet. That's like fingernails on the chalkboard, people!! Read the word....there is only one "r". Let's all pronounce it correctly now...shall we? :D Nope. Sherbert is listed as a variant on m-w.com and in my dh's Webster's Ninth Collegiate Dictionary, so I'm sticking with it :D. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
arghmatey Posted July 22, 2011 Share Posted July 22, 2011 Oh my. She actually pulled out a dictionary? That's just crazy. :tongue_smilie: Her dictionary didn't have "sherbert", but next time I write her a letter I'll have to let her know. It'll make her smile. Hrm. Maybe I'll send her a dictionary with the word in it. She would lol. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kalanamak Posted July 22, 2011 Share Posted July 22, 2011 In the midwest, I heard SURE-Burt. Back east I heard SURE-bet, and out here I hear soar-BAY (which is not sherbert, as it has no milk, but the milking stuff is called Creme .... like Orange Creme). Not like I'm an expert, however. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matryoshka Posted July 22, 2011 Share Posted July 22, 2011 Nope. Sherbert is listed as a variant on m-w.com and in my dh's Webster's Ninth Collegiate Dictionary, so I'm sticking with it :D. Yep. Y'all are just spelling it wrong. Sherbert is listed as a correct spelling at dictionary.com too, so I'm sticking with my pronunciation! :D I think I've always spelled it with the 'r' too (although I'm not sure I've ever needed to write that word down, so maybe it was only in my head). But see, now we know that's okay. :001_tt2: (this reminds me of the catsup/ketchup thing...) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SonshineLearner Posted July 22, 2011 Share Posted July 22, 2011 Irritates me when I hear "sherbert" especially when we're at an icecream store. Course.... enunciation irritations are earned honestly from my mom, who had a fit when people said "real a tor" when she worked at a realty company. :) She shared spelling and pronunciation with many "realtors" :) But, she worked her tush off for them and did their work carefully, so they loved her. (She had an in office job that she created, doing flyers and other "stuff" for them; lucky them, she didn't even charge for English grammar classes!! :)) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Old Dominion Heather Posted July 22, 2011 Share Posted July 22, 2011 I've only ever said ... Shur-bet. NO to the second, non-existant "R"! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SonshineLearner Posted July 22, 2011 Share Posted July 22, 2011 Nope. Sherbert is listed as a variant on m-w.com and in my dh's Webster's Ninth Collegiate Dictionary, so I'm sticking with it :D. Well, when enough people misuse or mispronounce a word, it is sometimes changed in the dictionary. I wonder if that's what happened. :tongue_smilie: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kathleen in VA Posted July 22, 2011 Author Share Posted July 22, 2011 Well, when enough people misuse or mispronounce a word, it is sometimes changed in the dictionary. I wonder if that's what happened. :tongue_smilie: That's what I'm thinking. Now I want to know who started it.:D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
milovany Posted July 22, 2011 Share Posted July 22, 2011 Maybe it's really sher-BAY, then. Hahahaha ... that's how I say it amongst kin! Precisely because of the whole sherbert vs. sherbet thing; I figure we're all wrong and it's really the French word for ... colored ice cream .... so I will say "I would like some share-bay, please." :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brenda in FL Posted July 22, 2011 Share Posted July 22, 2011 Nope. Sherbert is listed as a variant on m-w.com and in my dh's Webster's Ninth Collegiate Dictionary, so I'm sticking with it :D. LOL - :iagree: I posted the same sources further down!! (And it's my dh's dictionary also.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brenda in FL Posted July 22, 2011 Share Posted July 22, 2011 That's what I'm thinking. Now I want to know who started it.:D So what's the copyright date for your OED? (And would that really be considered American as it relates to this discussion) hmm. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GWOB Posted July 22, 2011 Share Posted July 22, 2011 I pronounce it with two "r" sounds. Which is funny when you consider the fact that I was taught English by non-native English speakers, whose first language was French. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kathleen in VA Posted July 22, 2011 Author Share Posted July 22, 2011 So what's the copyright date for your OED? (And would that really be considered American as it relates to this discussion) hmm. It's copyright 2005. It came on my Mac. I'm not sure about the American thing. I'll look it up in my other dictionaries tomorrow. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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