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Pedants' corner

Long standing argument, please help to settle this once and for all!

33 replies

sensiblehead · 01/12/2007 23:55

For a very long time now (10 years or more!) we have had a "discussion" at family gatherings - usually after the wine has gone round a few times!

So, here it is...

Is the word soften pronounced, "sofen" or "soften"?

Oh, and I would be really grateful to also know why it is pronounced that way please!

OP posts:

Report

Tinker · 01/12/2007 23:57

I woudl say sofen and Dictionary.com appears to agree
dictionary.reference.com/browse/soften

Howdydoody · 01/12/2007 23:57

my vote goes to sofen

WendyWeber · 01/12/2007 23:57

soffen.

dunno why though.

HTH

jellycat · 01/12/2007 23:58

soffen

LadyOfTheFlowers · 01/12/2007 23:58

SoFFen, surely?
Silent 't'.

PrincessSnowLife · 01/12/2007 23:58

sofen

is it an accent thing though?

funnypeculiar · 01/12/2007 23:58

sofen.
Just because (there is no other reason in english pronunciation, surely )

SoupDragon · 01/12/2007 23:58

Soffen. Not soften or sofen. If it only has one f it would have an "oh" sound in the middle which is clearly wrong. [even more pedantic]

funnypeculiar · 01/12/2007 23:59

actually (seeing last two posts, yes sof-fen

WendyWeber · 01/12/2007 23:59

In the word softener though, you can almost (but not quite) hear the silent 't' - there's a sort of imperceptible split-second pause between the sof and the ner.

Tinker · 02/12/2007 00:00

Extremely pedantic since we sofens were politely copying OP even though we knew she meant soffen

sensiblehead · 02/12/2007 00:00

Well I agree, but the argument always is that, oft becomes often so why should soft differ. I am finding it hard to disagree- even though I have tried very hard!

OP posts:

Desiderata · 02/12/2007 00:00

It's pronounced quietly. The 't' isn't hard, but it's there. A bit like Phil Mitchell.

You literally brush the T over your tongue as you speak it.

FluffyMummy123 · 02/12/2007 00:00

Message withdrawn

WendyWeber · 02/12/2007 00:01

I say offen as well (does that help?)

WendyWeber · 02/12/2007 00:01

soffem? wossat then, cod? Like stuffem but gentler?

Tinker · 02/12/2007 00:02

I say offen and often. Helpful.

sensiblehead · 02/12/2007 00:02

lol - yes I did mean soffen. I was getting tied up thinking about how to make the t clear in the second option!

OP posts:

SoupDragon · 02/12/2007 00:02

I think the T gets pronounced with an Irish accent... I've certainly heard it pronounced somewhere.

skyatnight · 02/12/2007 00:08

Most people say it without pronouncing the 't'. Some people (some Scots?) pronounce it with the 't'. Both are correct. It is just an accent, regional thing. Like people from the Midlands over-emphasising the 'g' in words ending in '-ing'. e.g. 'swimminggg' or people from some areas of Scotland and Northern Ireland pronouncing a word ending in 'arily', e.g. 'ordinarily', as 'ordinArily' whereas most of us would say 'ordinErily'.

sensiblehead · 02/12/2007 00:09

I think this is what is throwing me I know that the t is not a hard t, however, the fact that it is there however softly (no pun intended!) makes it difficult to explain why it is not a hard sound.

Also, I do use often and offen - I think they have slightly different uses (in my use of language anyway) but I could not explain what those uses are.

Having said all of that, SD, I also suspect I have heard it with a hard t - perhaps in Cornwall?

Oh heck, now I am really confused! Thanks anyway!

OP posts:

Jennster · 02/12/2007 00:10

Soffen, but can't decide between Often and offen. Think I actually say both...just to confuse things

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Jennster · 02/12/2007 00:11

jinx sensiblehead

sensiblehead · 02/12/2007 00:12

Skyatnight, they can't both be right, I need to print this thread off as conclusive proof that I am right!

OP posts:

skyatnight · 02/12/2007 00:13

Sorry .

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