Otto Stolz wrote:
> This reminds me to an observation that has puzzled me for years:
> I have often seen native "that" written in place of "than".
I confirm the observation, and suspect the problem is confined to
typing: I find it inconceivable that any native speaker (short of brain damage)
would say or hear "that" for "than", or even handwrite it.
I suspect that the greater frequency of "that", plus its repeated
consonant, makes it seductive to the rapidly typing fingers.
(On a personal note, my most common typo, which has persisted for
some 25 years, is "reutnr" for "return".)
--Schlingt dreifach einen Kreis um dies! || John Cowan <jcowan@reutershealth.com> Schliesst euer Aug vor heiliger Schau, || http://www.reutershealth.com Denn er genoss vom Honig-Tau, || http://www.ccil.org/~cowan Und trank die Milch vom Paradies. -- Coleridge (tr. Politzer)
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