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I can only register here my complete concurrence with the opinion expressed in Tract No. 3 of the Society for Pure English that the 'English form of the French sound of the word would be approximately tamber; and this would be not only a good English-sounding word, like amber and chamber, but would be like our tambour, which is tympanum, which again is timbre'.
So that if our professors and doctors of music were brave, they would speak and write tamber, which would be not only English but perfectly correct etymologically. But this is just where what is called 'the rub' comes in. It would, for a month or two, look so peculiar a word that it might require something like a coup d'état to introduce it.
The English pronunciation of the letters of timbre is forbidden by its homophone a French girl collecting postage-stamps in England explained that she collected timberposts , whereas our English form of the French sound of the word would be approximately tamber; and this would be not only a good English-sounding word like amber and clamber, but would be like our tambour, which is tympanum, which again IS timbre.
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