Why Does Everyone Add an Extra “P” to the Word “sherbet”?
While we grumble about it, most native English speakers simply agree that sometimes the language doesn’t make much sense and are content with memorizing a complex series of tricks and sayings that help us stay clear. But one question seems to have plagued ice cream customers long enough that someone had to research it: Why do people add an extra “r” that doesn’t exist when pronouncing the word “sherbet”?
Consumerist recently decided to tackle this issue. They looked at an article on Smithsonian.com where about a year ago they were trying to solve this seemingly eternal mystery.
Short answer? Nobody really knows. Of course, professionals discourage the use of the second “R”. Says the Smithsonian:
“Despite its widespread acceptance and public acceptance, the second ‘R’ practically does not exist on frozen food shelves in supermarkets or on national ice cream chains such as Dairy Queen and Baskin-Robbins … Moreover, a Baskin-Robbins spokesman assured me: “Since its founding [in 1945], the brand has pronounced the word ‘sorbet’ with only one ‘p’.” This is typical of their franchises across the country, she said. ”
One theory is the expectation of rhyme. Since the first syllable ends in -er, we want the second syllable to do the same. The Smithsonian interviewed Michael Adams, English historian and provost of Indiana University at Bloomington, who said:
“When I read aloud to my children, I sometimes unconsciously repeat sounds over syllables or words that are very similar to each other, and then re-read the phrase. Sherbet implores to pronounce his “Herbert” according to this “principle.” It’s not a type of systematic language change, he says. It’s a vocabulary change. This means that it is not a particular environment that influences our pronunciation, but rather a change in preference.
Another possibility is that the mispronunciation is so widespread that it is now amplified. Or it could all be the fault of thebig band era , when composer Ben Homer released the 1939 hit“Shoot Me Sherbet, Herbert.” The song pronounces it “sherbert” despite using the correct spelling in the title, and may have been instrumental in introducing satisfactory but incorrect pronunciation to the mainstream.
This mystery may never be fully solved, but important facts remain: linguistic evolution is weird, prescriptivism is boring, and frozen desserts are delicious.