LOL That is a pet peeve with me... in the opposite direction, Pig.
I started pronouncing it before I knew the "t" was supposed to be
silent. I learned to read phonetically, and it is written as "oft-en"
so obviously that is how it should be pronounced. BG I have cleaned
it up mostly, but if I am tired a soft "t" sound does happen. (And at
one point anyway, that was a secondary pronunciation.)

Pati, in Phx with a DH who is a writer, who can sometimes spell but not
pronounce words. (But thank goodness for spell check for him too....)

Megan Zurawicz wrote:

My favorite example of that is "off tin". T in "often" has been silent how
many centuries? when these folks decide to be "cultured-er than thou" and
studiously enunciate it.......

--pig


On 2/23/07 03:59, in article , "Sally
Swindells" wrote:


My pet hate is difficult to describe, but is what I call 'false
gentrification' of the language.