Date:  Sun, 30 Nov 1997 12:47:14 +0000
From:  Lynne Murphy <M_Lynne_Murphy[AT SYMBOL GOES HERE]BAYLOR.EDU>
Subject: Re: of(t)en and "is all"

> Also, did anybody out there grow up pronouncing the "t" in often? I've
> only ever heard it done in poetry. Is the t-lessness an Americanism, or
> a regionalism?
>
> Kendra Banks Perry

i grew up with the 't' in western new york state, and am glad to hear it
whenever i go back, but i hear it sometimes in texas, and when i polled
my south african students on it, about half claimed they used the 't',
but i never paid enough attention to tell whether they were telling the
truth.

lynne of the long sentences

--

M. Lynne Murphy
Assistant Professor in Linguistics
Department of English
Baylor University
PO Box 97404
Waco, TX 76798