courgette

Of course, but it's funny because they're typically trying to imitate an accent that has all but disappeared from common use (received pronunciation or BBC English), rather than simply doing a bad job of it.

Am I alone in finding Hugh Lawrie's pseudo-American accent on "House" rather strange to listen to?

I agree with chained_bear -- it's wonderful to hear people with British accents try to pronounce an American R. I once heard a guy on the BBC try to do a George Bush impression, and boy, that was downright hilarious.

And how about the opposite situation? When an American tries to do a British accent, is it amusing to British ears?

That's an hilarious, Asativum.

There's an hairy guy named Herb just down the street. He's an hoot.

I say "an urrb." I don't really do that crazy RRRRR thing. But I love to hear people with British accents try to do an American R. It always makes me laugh till I cry. :) Especially the word "dork."

How about "an harmonica"? ;->

But do you pronounce it "anurrrrrb"?

An herb sounds ugly to me, like a fake Cockney affectation. Gives me an hissy fit.

Yes, I say "an herb." I do NOT say "an historian."

Yes, but I'm half-Brit and grew up there. Canada seems to be split on this as on other Brit / Yank linguistic divides. Some people drop the h, but I think a majority pronounce it.

Hey yarb, aren't you in Vancouver? I thought they pronounced it "erb" in Canada, just like we do in the States.

In the UK we just call the seeds "coriander seeds"...

I notice you say "an herb" - does this mean that you pronounce it "urrrrrb"? I LOVE that.

Coriander in the U.S. is actually a spice (not an herb) from the seeds of the cilantro plant. The herb (leaves) is cilantro.

That's odd, though, yarb. I know scallions are called spring onions, because that's the phrase I grew up with. I only learned they were called scallions or green onions later on.

Here corgi, corgi.

I had blank looks asking for spring onions (scallions or green onions) and coriander (cilantro) soon after leaving the UK.

*Imagining dontcry stalking young female corgis*.

Yeah, I had a similar experience using an Australian cookbook that calls for capsicum. But I figured it out pretty quick.

I remember when I first was reading a cookbook from England and the recipe called for courgettes. The only thing I could come up with, in my mind, were the dogs those royal people keep around all the time! Still makes me laugh -- 'cause it was a vegetarian cookbook!

And they're both vegetables!

Itsy-bitsy teeny-weeny
don't forget courgette's zucchini

Hey! It's a mnemonic device! Eggplant and Elton John both begin with E!!!

*very excited about this*

Zucchini. But I only know that because of the recent conversation on eggplant, and because Elton John is still playing in my head.

"Goodbye aubergine, though I never knew you at all..."

Alright ptero, what is it? No WordNET cheating now!