How prevalent is the silent "t"

[Marc Sacks]

Tom Zurinskas asked:

>
> I'm just wondering about the pronunciation of words like 'entertainment'
> 'center' 'international' I mostly hear these words pronounced by dropping
> the middle 't' so it would sound like enertainment, cener, and
> inernational.
> But there are also others who would pronounced these words without
> dropping
> the middle 't' could anyone know where the pronunciation originated and
> how
> come others won't drop the middle 't' although I'm not saying it's wrong,
> just wanna know so that if someone would ask the difference atleast I
> would
> know the answer. Thanks in advance guys.
>
I just want to add the word "often" to the question. My elementary-school
teachers always insisted the "t" in "often" was silent, but many people
pronounce it. I don't know that it's a regional difference, since my son
pronounces the "t" while my wife and I don't, and I never noticed a
prevalence for one or the other, at least around Boston.

Marc Sacks
msacks at theworld.com
> authorhouse.com.
>
>
>
>
>
>>From: "Landau, James" <James.Landau at NGC.COM>
>>Reply-To: American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
>>To: ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU
>>Subject: Re: "cigarette bat" referred to as "schoocher"?
>>Date: Thu, 7 Jun 2007 12:16:34 -0400
>>
>>---------------------- Information from the mail header
>>-----------------------
>>Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
>>Poster:       "Landau, James" <James.Landau at NGC.COM>
>>Subject:      Re: "cigarette bat" referred to as "schoocher"?
>>-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>>
>>The name "cigarette" bat suggests something is on fire, so could
>>"schoocher" be a variant of "scorcher"?
>>
>>    - Jim Landau
>>
>>-----Original Message-----
>>From: Sarah Lang [mailto:slang at UCHICAGO.EDU]
>>Sent: Wednesday, June 06, 2007 4:56 AM
>>Subject: "cigarette bat" referred to as "schoocher"?
>>
>>So I just heard this term today and I cannot find a record of it
>>anywhere (I tried possible variant spellings, or even mispronunciation).
>>Is anyone familiar with "schoocher"? (Scoob/ed is the only thing I can
>>find that is even somewhat related . . . .)
>>
>>S.
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
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