whenever/anywhen

[Laurence Horn]

>ADS-Lers:
>
>Larry asked, Can you get 'anywhen' in the pretty much the same contexts and
>the same regional distribution as 'everwhen'?
>
>I am pretty sure that I have never heard the word usage "anywhen or
>everwhen."  Sorry, I can't comment on Larry's question.  Can any southerners
>out there help?
>

It might be restricted to nonstandard dialects of southern England, then.
This is what the OED says:
================================
anywhen e.ni,hwe:n, adv. [See any 9. ] Indefinite compound of when: At any
time, ever. Rare in literature, but common in southern dialects.

       1831 Carlyle Sart. Res. (1858) 159 And, simply by wishing that you
were Anywhen, straightway to be Then!

       1845 Carlyle Cromwell Introd., There has been none braver anywhere
or anywhen.

       1878 Bosw. Smith Carthage 333 Now, if anywhen, we might have
expected that, etc.
================================
I just had to check (for some of my own research)--thanks for the feedback.

Larry