Re: Standard RP pronunciation of "often"?

In article <d1f4$465e73d7$3e18e6cb$16148@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>,
Richard Polhill <richard.news@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
zhengquan wrote:
Is "often" pronounced with the t sound standard in RP? Can I infer
something about the speaker's background according to that?

Thanks!

No. RP would pronounce it without the T.

I think you may be able to infer that the speaker is over-cautious, trying too
hard to pronounce "correctly"; probably somebody who has tried to lose a
regional accent or traces of what they perceive to be a background of
lower-social-standing. Alternatively they may not be a native English speaker.

I usually pronounce "often" with the t, and don't fit any of those supposed
categories. I grew up in Gosport, Hampshire, and am almost 50.

Other words that spring to mind with similar issues are "medicine" and "clothes".
My wife pronounces them "meds'n" and "close", but I pronounce them as "medis'n"
and "clothes" (with the dh sound).

Cheers
Tony
--
Tony Mountifield
Work: tony@xxxxxxxxxxxxx - http://www.softins.co.uk
Play: tony@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx - http://tony.mountifield.org
.

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