Date:  Thu, 9 Jan 1997 13:15:54 -0500
From:  "Dale F.Coye" <CoyeCFAT[AT SYMBOL GOES HERE]AOL.COM>
Subject: Re: I don't think of this often

Heather wrote:

-- I read this the other day and found the part
about the 't' in "often" most disturbing (I never pronounce it,
what's more, I always thought it was some form of hypercorrection).--

Often with t pronounced is probably right up there in the top ten
pronunciations that get under people's skin. And vice-versa, as noted by the
guy you quote who was ticked off at the t-less pronunciation. I'll bet a
poll of the literati would not approve it as standard, but the t-pronouncers
seem to be taking over the world anyway. If I were a school teacher, I'd
point out soften, whistle, listen for starters, explain what a spelling
pronunciation is, and then admit the power of the masses (witness the
amazing success of calm, palm, etc. pronounced with /l/).

Dale Coye
The Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching
Princeton, NJ