It is thought that oft morphed into often by analogy with seldan. And almonds! Good post! Peter, I pronounce tumor “toomer,” (though I’d rather not have to say that at all), and I think people give alms to the poor, and that rhymes with palms and calms, doesn’t it? The t in often continued to be pronounced until some time in the 15th century when a consonant simplification occurred in some words that had two or more consonants in a row. I asked the question about often when I realized that my partner sounde the t quite emphatically and I cannot. I’ve never heard this, and I’ve lived everywhere from the UK to NY to California to Hawaii.
I know Americans pronounce it that way (play a toon, eat a toona sandwich, etc.) We have almost 200 lists of words from topics as varied as types of butterflies, jackets, currencies, vegetables and knots! Analogy cuts both ways, and is not “entirely unsupportive” as Elestr opines. All the latest wordy news, linguistic insights, offers and competitions every month. “Affect” vs. “Effect”: Use The Correct Word Every Time. Our new online dictionaries for schools provide a safe and appropriate environment for children. Unemployed people were victims of personal crime twice as often as employed people. By 1926, enough speakers were pronouncing the t in often to provoke this testy comment from H. W. Fowler in Modern English Usage: [the pronunciation of the t in often] is practised by two oddly consorted classes—the academic speakers who affect a more precise enunciation than their neighbours…& the uneasy half-literates who like to prove that they can spell….”. Since then, I have lived mostly on the East Coast. One of the lines is..”There can be no good in any young man who eats so much and so often”. The first time I heard it I was astonished that someone would pronounce the “t”.
having or claiming to have the power of seeing objects or actions beyond the range of natural vision. Or to you say ahms? What Is The Difference Between “It’s” And “Its”? “Well it’s not very offen that this happens.”. I cringe whenever I hear the word coupon pronounced as kyoopon. First of all i would like to understand the difference b/w often and oftenly. Interesting. see every now and then (so often); more often than not. I empathize with the way George Bush pronounces words because do the same. But then, I also pronounce the plural of house as houzes, (not houSes). Is there any word in standard English beginning with “tu” that’s pronounced “too”? I searched for the correct pronunciation because I so frequently hear “often” with the “t” pronounced, that I was beginning to wonder if I was remembering incorrectly. I have a Pecos accent. In my case, however, I would certainly pronounce the T in a more formal setting, as a way of more clearly articulating my words. Consider just a few examples: OFF-in.
It is fascinating how language differs all around the world, I guess it is the “same language” when the majority of people who speak that language can understand the reader. John Walker’s Critical Pronouncing Dictionary, published in 1791 and still available in a 2001 reprint of the 1838 edition, stipulates that “in often and soften the t is silent.”. I couldn’t tell you what that rule is, but it sounds more correct to put “often” in the same category as the latter. ancestor La place des adverbes dans la phraseLes Adverbes de fréquence Les adverbes de fréquence sont :always (toujours),rarely,seldom (rarement), usually (habituellement), never (jamais), sometimes (quelquefois), hardly ever (presque jamais), often (souvent) … Although, where I currently reside, both the illiterate and educated pronounce the ‘t’ rather clearly. I do not pronounce the ‘t’ when I am speaking as an educated professional. And, having developed my vocabulary through the written word, rarely hearing many words pronounced, I often do not say the fancy words correctly.
Thank you for the list of analogous words – consistency in either spelling or pronouncing the English language is seldom supported by looking at other words (see -ough as an example).
Why Do “Left” And “Right” Mean Liberal And Conservative? Actually, I like the spelling Wendseday better, and it makes more sense too.. Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012.
or I often go to school. or I go to school oftenly. I’d never really noticed it before but am now going to listen out for how my compatriots pronounce it. I was born in Montana in 1956, moved to California in 1966 where I lived until 1983. However, writer on language Charles Harrington Elster, in The Big Book Of Beastly Mispronunciations: The Complete Opinionated Guide For The Careful Speaker(1999), rejects such compromise: I would caution those who might be consoled by the comments of … Burchfield to heed the admonitions of the past and avoid pronouncing the t. Elster supports his position with an appeal to analogy: analogy is entirely unsupportive: no one pronounces the t in soften, listen, fasten, moisten, hasten, chasten, christen, and Christmas—so, once and for all, let’s do away with the eccentric AWF-tin. I will sometimes pronounce the ‘t’ when I slip into colloquial style speech. “Democracy” vs. “Republic”: Is There A Difference? They are taught, in schools, to write it as they hear it spoken and so fall into the trap of not knowing how a word should be spelt.
And who hasn’t heard chewsday as the middle of the week? Peter, Or to you say ahms? I’ve been keeping a log on the pronunciations of “often” for some time now, but I’ve yet to hear “often” pronounced with a “d” sound. Over time, seldum came to be spelled seldom. “Epidemic” vs. “Pandemic” vs. “Endemic”: What Do These Terms Mean? … I don’t know since when. Once I bumped into a man from Northern Ireland on a train in London and I swear I understood less than 30% of everything he said. I was sent to Speech&Drama lessons which I actually enjoyed for the poetry and endless Shakespeare. Now I live in Singapore and the English that I hear is from every corner of the globe both locally and in the expat community. It was at this time that speakers stopped pronouncing the d in handkerchief and handsome, the p in raspberry, and the t in chestnut and often. I think there’s some esoteric rule governing whether or not certain consonant sounds are pronounced, explaining why we hear the “t” in after but not in hasten. Absentee Ballot vs. Mail-In Ballot: Is There A Difference? Even the same speaker doesn’t pronounce the same word the same way all of the time. I think I say a strong t when I am passionate about what I am saying? Lord Byron in his famous poem even had “Don Juan” rhyming with “true one”!! I don't know how often I heard the same awful jokes. What I have learnt from teaching English is that it is a language which is complex, flexible and fluid. I can deal with and accept that the English language is no longer a standard. I am from the Midwest and now live on the east coast of the US. I pronounce the t if it’s at the beginning or end of a sentence, but not in the middle. Often definition is - many times : frequently. Webster’s New World College Dictionary, 4th Edition. Early American weathervanes were most often cut from flat wooden boards. Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020, Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition I often wonder how to pronounce the word “often.” I’m curious to see the results of the surveys. He is generally liked; The train is generally on time. I am fascinated (and relieved) to see so much discussion on this subject. They often spent Christmas at Prescott Hill. American, I presume?
Apparently we trust spelling more than our own ears. I think I have become obsessed! cryptic As a Canadian, I proudly use both “ofTen” and “offen”, depending on the context of audience, formality, and speed of delivery. Despite the best attempts of my parents (I come from NZ) to eradicate the T in ‘often’ from my speech, I realise that I use both pronounciations depending on the placement of the word in a sentence. There are people who pronounce the ‘l’ in calm and palm? and I think people give alms to the poor, and that rhymes with palms and calms, doesn’t it? Old English had the word oft, meaning “frequently.” It also had the word seldan, which meant “rarely,” and is the source of our word seldom. I was always a bit uncomfortable with the silent-N pronunciation of kiln, and so, apparently, was everyone else, since you always hear the N pronounced now. The word often is a good example of the way our language goes round and round.
I wonder what’s the correct pronunciation of “Wednesday?”, ApK, Excellent post! I am from the Midwest (WI) and this is how we were taught in school to pronounce it, but that was back in the 60’s. I don’t pronounce the T in often for the same reason I don’t say “sof-TEN, glis-TEN, wres-TLE or lis-TEN, they are not pronounced. Amaze your friends with your new-found knowledge!
Now, however, I realize that I have pronounced ‘often’ both ways. It was often hard to work and do the course at the same time.