I have just read this entire thread and I think you are all STOO-pid. :razz:
While I usually say "OFF-ten" (not OFF-tin), I will sometimes say "OFF-en" if someone I am talking to pronounces it that way just prior to my saying it.
And there are Donuts and there are Donut Holes. The Holes are the little balls that are, theoretically, the part of the Do that was cut out to make the Hole in the Donut, though they are usually made separately. :?
"(U)GH" is really unnecessary in many places: THRU, THO, ALTHO, JONESBORO, etc. It should be left in words like THOUGHT, TAUGHT, and CAUGHT because it adds a drawl to the A and they shouldn't be pronounced like THOT, TOT, and COT. Likewise, DAWN, LAWN, FAWN, and YAWN should not be pronounced like DON, LON, FON, and YON. Conversely, DOG, FROG, MALL, and CALL should not be pronounced like DAWG, FRAWG, MAUL, and CAUL. And definitely look out for TALK and CHALK for they are certainly not TOCK and CHOCK! Be careful around foreign names too: SHANGHAI, CAIRO, and ZUIDER don't sound like SHANGHIGH, KYRO, or ZYDER, especially if you're from the South.
But do feel free to connect to me on AIM (same as my name here) and send me your sound files so I can make fun of you. :lol: I'll even share some of mine, but I don't have the bandwidth to post them on the web.
