Comments on: Winning the lottery and sherbert

By: Jack

Jack — Fri, 09 Mar 2012 15:37:33 +0000

vanderleun Says:
March 7th, 2012 at 3:30 pm

I bet it’s bert before the end of the decade.

Sounds like a sure bet.

By: M J R

M J R — Fri, 09 Mar 2012 02:05:16 +0000

In my world, it’s FebROOary, ’cause it’s spelled “February”, with “ru” after the “Feb”.

It’s ^not^ FebYOUary. It’s just ^not^.

Why won’t the world (the real one, not my little one) knuckle under?

[ laughs at self ]

Gimme some ‘o that sherbert, huh?

By: Gringo

Gringo — Thu, 08 Mar 2012 19:02:46 +0000

I go with “sherbert” or “sherbit” – usually “sherbit”- depending on my mood. This has more to do with dropping or not dropping of R’s, instead of proper pronunciation.

Getting on to bet/bert and the French language:

“Hebert” I pronounce “Ä-Ëˆber,” due to having worked with Cajuns. [I also know a Mrs. Hebert- her husband is Manchester NH French Canadian.]

Coincidentally, my second grade teacher’s married name was “Abare,” which we we told to pronounce “Ä-Ëˆber.”

But “Bert and Ernie” I pronounce “Bert and Ernie.”

By: I R A Darth Aggie

I R A Darth Aggie — Thu, 08 Mar 2012 16:48:10 +0000

Is the problem mispronunciation rather than misspelling?

Yes.

Sherbert – Sher bert
Sherbet – Sher bay

Those wacky French…

By: Mac

Mac — Thu, 08 Mar 2012 16:02:12 +0000

I remember being surprised at some point as a child, or maybe in my early teens, when I noticed it wasn’t spelled “sherbert.” I thought that was what I had been hearing. To this day I feel slightly awkward saying the word, whether I say it correctly or incorrectly.

By: Roy

Roy — Thu, 08 Mar 2012 05:14:01 +0000

Some say tomatoes, some say tomahtoes.

Some say potatoes, some say potahtoes.

Here where I’m from, it’s maters and taters…

…and sherbert.

By: model_1066

model_1066 — Thu, 08 Mar 2012 02:20:27 +0000

I prefer the SORE BAY

By: chuck

chuck — Thu, 08 Mar 2012 02:11:42 +0000

You say sherbet, I say sherbert. And I remember arriving in Mass as a child and being offered “tonic” to drink. I thought that was something you put in your hair.

By: Judith

Judith — Thu, 08 Mar 2012 01:02:10 +0000

Ricki – I often hear people pronounce it “sherbert” and I did until I noticed the spelling. I do think that the pronunciation influences the spelling.

By: rickl

rickl — Wed, 07 Mar 2012 23:57:43 +0000

I’ve always called it sherbert even though I know it’s spelled sherbet. Is the problem mispronunciation rather than misspelling?