Watch today’s show at YouTube or BlipTV.
Hi, I’m Sarah. Welcome to The Daily English Show.
I’d like to teach you a word today: gubernatorial.
It means: of or relating to a governor, particularly that of a state in the US.
This Sunday gubernatorial elections are being held in Japan.
I’d never heard of that word before I came to Japan.
I don’t know if the system in Japan is the same as in America, but anyway, that’s the word that the English media in Japan use.
Speaking of the gubernatorial elections ... I read this today on japantoday.com:
The Tokyo metropolitan election management committee on Thursday asked the YouTube video posting website to delete posts of official campaign broadcasts by some candidates for the gubernatorial election slated for Sunday, citing "fairness" in election campaigning.
Hmmm interesting.
In other Japan news, a private English school called Lado has gone bankrupt.
So if any Lado students are watching this and you need an English teacher – please email me.
Today I’d like to recommend a video called: Dirty Organic Food & Movies.
It’s by CBS. CBS is one of the largest radio and television networks in the United States.
This video is part of a show called the Late Late Show featuring Craig Ferguson.
And he talks about the American pronunciation of herb.
He says: I know the common thing, you know, around here is to say ‘erbs.
No. Don’t say ‘erbs. When it’s herbs.
I think it’s quite funny ... and I’ve always wondered why on earth do Amerians say ‘erb – so I looked it up.
And this is what I found at bartleby.com
The letter H comes from the Roman alphabet. The (h) sound was eventually lost in Latin, and in the Romance languages, which are descended from Latin, h is not pronounced although it is retained in the spelling of some words. (In both Old English and Middle English, h represented (h) at the beginning of words and before vowels, although in Middle English h “weakened” somewhat and was often silent before vowels in unstressed syllables.) In Modern English, h is usually pronounced in native English words such as happy and hot and, because of the influence of writing, in most words borrowed from French, such as haste and hostel. In a few other words borrowed from French the h has remained silent, as in honor, honest, hour, and heir. And in another small group of French loan words, including herb, humble, human, and humor, the h may or may not be pronounced depending on the dialect of English.
So there you go ... now it makes sense.
It’s because it’s from French and it’s kept its original pronunciation.
STICK NEWS
Kia ora, in Stick News today the Finance Minister in Japan criticized NHK for too much coverage of the baseballer Daisuke Matsuzaka.
Daisuke Matsuzaka is a professional baseball player. On December the13 2006 he joined an American baseball team called the Boston Red Sox.
Since moving to America Daisuke get a lot of TV coverage.
One person who isn’t too happy about this is Finance Minister Koji Omi. Today he complained about NHK’s intensive coverage of the baseball player.
"I think it is problematic for NHK to pick up this kind of news every morning on the 7 am program in terms of overall balance of news coverage."
And that was Stick News for Friday the 6th of April.
Kia Ora.
conversations with sarah
#209 What exactly is that law?
Step 1: Repeat Tom’s lines.
Step 2: Read Tom’s lines and talk to Sarah.
Tom What exactly is that law?
Sarah I’m not really sure ... anyway broadcasting is somehow restricted during the 15 days before the election.
Tom What can you say during that time?
Sarah Basically nothing about the candidates, I think.
Tom All media?
Sarah I think ... approved media can talk about the candidates.
Tom Does this affect you?
Sarah Yeah, kind of. Like if I said: Don’t vote for so and so because he’s a crazy zenophobic freak. Then this video probably would be illegal and wouldn’t be approved to be uploaded to Japanese sites.
Tom What about YouTube? That’s an American site.
Sarah Yeah, that’s a good question. I’m still not quite sure about that ... like this law and other (laws like) copyright laws – which country’s law are you supposed to follow? The country where the owner of the website lives or the country where the person uploading the material lives?
Dirty Organic Food & Movies
From 2:42
I do grow herbs in my back garden now.
I grow, you know, herbs for cooking, not...
By the way I say herbs. Herbs is what I say.
I know the common thing, you know, around here is to say ‘erbs.
No. Don’t say ‘erbs. When it’s herbs.
It’s Londoners that drop the h in everything. But they still say herbs.
Hello Mary Poppins. How are you? Wanna buy some herbs.
See they say herbs!
We say the h in America. You can’t just drop the h in one word: ‘erbs.
The word is herbs.
You don’t say David ‘asslehoff do you?
Exactly!
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