eggcorn or flubbed dialect? non-standard uses of non-standard 'oughtened'

[James Smith]

Isn't "oughtened" just a creative (mis)spelling of
"oughtn't"?



--- Jonathan Lighter <wuxxmupp2000 at YAHOO.COM> wrote:

> These exx. are most likely simple stupidisms.
>
>   JL
>
> Erik Hoover <grinchy at GRINCHY.COM> wrote:
>   ---------------------- Information from the mail
> header -----------------------
> Sender: American Dialect Society
> Poster: Erik Hoover
> Subject: eggcorn or flubbed dialect? non-standard
> uses of non-standard
> 'oughtened'
>
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> I doubt this is an eggcorn, but I want each of you
> to read my post.
>
> I just this morning stumbled across an oddly used
> word, 'oughtened',
> while reading an entry at the nytimes.com reader
> forum.
>
> A female physician with the handle doccarie posted
> this:
>
> I have found that if a lover of any stripe complains
> about a woman's
> equipment, he's probably doing something he
> oughtened--he's used to
> equipment that somehow is not standard issue. It is
> really rare that
> women don't look just fine. Besides, in the heat of
> it all, who's
> looking exactly?
>
> Above excerpted from
>
(http://forums.nytimes.com/top/opinion/readersopinions/forums/magazine/
>
thefutureofplasticsurgery/index.html?offset=3&fid=.f891118/3)
>
> The poster may have a firm grip on what she intends,
> jocular dialect
> perhaps, but Google shows us that 'oughtened' has
> seemingly
> contradictory applications. Google has 127 hits for
> 'oughtened'. Some
> convey "ought not" and others "ought to"
>
> exx:
>
> "Mebbe I oughtened have spoken. I oughter remembered
> that times this
> sort o’ thing must be rather rough on you and her.
> You follow me?"
> Bret Harte ('authentic' jocular dialect!) (30
> Googlits are versions of
> this)
>
> "I fergot the link I reckon I oughtened to have hung
> fire a little
> before I hit that ol' Submit button."
> - forum poster (confused jocular dialect)
>
> "So the menu from CD1 is pretty much on its own
> while I eject cd1 to
> insert cd-2, but there is no access to that folder
> on cd 2 when i press
> the button that oughtened to open the folder. "
> - forum discussant (just plain confused)
>
> It is these latter two exx that I find interesting.
>
> I won't go further ( thank you, boss, for paying me
> to post to ADS-L)
> but will warn that if you also are interested in
> looking at 'oughten',
> which is logical, you'll contend with the fact that
> Oughten as a proper
> name is preponderant.
>
> Cheers,
>
> Erik
>
>
>
>
> In spite of what I wrote a few moments ago, I
> couldn't resist a short
> foray where I oughtened:
>
> And they therof merveileden gretly, and seide
> that sholde never betyden, with Goddes grace, and
> wele oughten he to
> have shame
> that this shame hath purposed to his liege man.
>
> - Uther and Ygerne, line 255 (old school authentic
> dialect)
>
>
>
>
> ---------------------------------
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James D. SMITH                 |If history teaches anything
South SLC, UT                  |it is that we will be sued
jsmithjamessmith at yahoo.com     |whether we act quickly and decisively
                               |or slowly and cautiously.



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