[lit-ideas] Re: Orphan Often: Observations & Queries

In a message dated 5/30/2004 12:10:07 PM Eastern Standard Time,  
straker@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx writes:
I'm sure  the precedents for Abbott & Costello go back before
G&S, but still,  is there a *canonical* precedent for such
persistent comedic  word-play?


#2 - of-ten

Some people somewhere say "off ten"  and would be immune to
this particular loop. Is "off ten" the proper  pronunciation
for any identifiable minority? 

Don't know about a precedent for G&S, but here's a note from the OED. 
Interestingly: Fowler (Mod. Eng. Usage) has the prouncication with medial  
't' as hypercorrection, rather than (natural, unintentional) dialectal 
variation 
 -- nonstandard if Fowler would have it as such. 
Cheers,
JL
----
'often'
from the OED
"Several orthoepists of the 16th and 17th centuries, including  Hart, 
Bullokar, Robinson, Gil, and Hodges, give a pronunciation with medial  -t-."
"Others, including Coles, Young, Strong, and Brown, record a  pronunciation 
without -t-, which, despite its use in the 16th cent. by  Elizabeth I, seems to 
have been avoided by careful speakers in the 17th cent.  (see E. J. Dobson 
Eng. Pronunc. 1500-1700 (ed. 2, 1968) II. §405)." 
"Loss of t after f occurs in other cases; cf. _SOFTEN_ 
(http://0-dictionary.oed.com.csulib.ctstateu.edu/cgi/crossref?query_type=word&queryword=often&edition
=3e&first=1&max_to_show=10&single=1&sort_type=alpha&xrefed=REV&xrefword=soften
&ps=v.)   v., and also _RAFT_ 
(http://0-dictionary.oed.com.csulib.ctstateu.edu/cgi/crossref?query_type=word&queryword=often&edition=3e&first=1&max_to_show=1
0&single=1&sort_type=alpha&xrefed=REV&xrefword=raft&ps=n.&homonym_no=1)   
n.1, _HAFT_ 
(http://0-dictionary.oed.com.csulib.ctstateu.edu/cgi/crossref?query_type=word&queryword=often&edition=3e&first=1&max_to_show=10&single=1&sort_type=a
lpha&xrefed=REV&xrefword=haft&ps=n.&homonym_no=1)   n.1,  etc."
"The pronunciation with -t- has frequently  been considered to be 
hypercorrection in recent times: see for example H. W.  Fowler Mod. Eng. Usage 
(1926), 
s.v."

"N.E.D. (1902) records the  pronunciation (·f'n) /f()n/,  /f()n/ (see 
etymological note  s.v. _O_ 
(http://0-dictionary.oed.com.csulib.ctstateu.edu/cgi/crossref?query_type=word&queryword=often&edition=3e&first=1&max_to_show=10&single=1
&sort_type=alpha&xrefed=REV&xrefword=O) ).]"

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