On 7/2/07, Alan <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
> Carl wrote:
>
> Not where I come from linguistically. OED says the pronunciation
> "of-ten" is frequent in the South of England. I find it frequent
> among people who were taught to sound out words from their spelling.
> Even my daughter, who, with a Ph.D. in linguistics ought to know
> better.
>
Granted, I learned to speak English in the South of England, but I still
would find "offen" an odd pronunciation.
My Queens born and bred mother-in-law is more a fan of the "aw-fen"
pronunciation, but then she thinks "Gawd" is a proper word. heh.
A quick survey of my mostly American-born co-workers found zero instances
of a missing "t".
Are you from the south? I've a friend from Alabama who apparently is an
"offen" type.
My somewhat mixed background ranges from upstate New York to eastern
Ohio to Cambridge, Mass. Parents from New York City. After each move
I was thought to "talk funny" by my contemporaries. Moving to
California some 40-odd years ago nobody seemed to be bothered by the
way I talked.
> W.S. Gilbert had a great deal of fun punning between "orphan" and
> "often'. Frequently.
I can't even imagine those two words sounding anything alike.
Guess that's what makes language so fascinating. heh.
carl
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carl lowenstein marine physical lab u.c. san diego
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