Then/than pronunciation

[nq:1]This has probably been covered before, but it's a tough one to Google, both words being so common. Some people pronounce "then" and "than" identically; others don't. Is there any geographic and/or demographic pattern to this? It seems pretty random to me.[/nq]
I have not heard that, but increasingly often in recent years, find 'then' in writing where most of us would write 'than'.

[nq:2]This has probably been covered before, but it's a tough ... demographic pattern to this? It seems pretty random to me.[/nq]
[nq:1]I have not heard that, but increasingly often in recent years, find 'then' in writing where most of ... (a form of) English solely by listening, and never or rarely correcting mis-hearings by reading (well-edited) texts.[/nq]
I completely agree with the cu

[nq:2]I have not heard that, but increasingly often ... rarely correcting mis-hearings by reading (well-edited) texts.[/nq]
[nq:1]I completely agree with the curmudgeon, yet another manifestation of the prevalence of televison over reading. It even extends to some writing "less then" for "less than". I wonder how their math teachers let that get by. Maybe all they used were symbols.[/nq]

[nq:2]I have not heard that, but increasingly often ... rarely correcting mis-hearings by reading (well-edited) texts.[/nq]
[nq:1]I completely agree with the curmudgeon, yet another manifestation of the prevalence of televison over reading. It even extends to ... who could not distinguish between the words pen and pin. This was an educated person who read quite a lot.[/nq]
In writing or sp

[nq:2]I have not heard that, but increasingly often ... rarely correcting mis-hearings by reading (well-edited) texts.[/nq]
[nq:1]I completely agree with the curmudgeon, yet another manifestation of the prevalence of televison over reading. It even extends to ... who could not distinguish between the words pen and pin. This was an educated person who read quite a lot.[/nq]
I hope that "phy

[nq:1]Some people pronounce "then" and "than" identically; others don't. Is there any geographic and/or demographic pattern to this? It seems pretty random to me.[/nq]
Haven't noticed this, although I wondered if I do it myself by using schwa in both words when they're unstressed ... but I can't think of a context where "then" would be unstressed!
John J in Wales

Interesting.
[nq:1]I hope that "physiological" comment is a joke.[/nq]
Careful, Don, Raymond doesn't like jokes: nothing but the facts, ma'am, nothing but the facts.

Nell wrote (re pronunciation of "pin" and "pen"):
[nq:1]I've always said pin for both (thinking "pen" for the writing instrument). I've never become so self-consci0us of the difference ... MWUSSes make no such distinction and I am of those two persuasions. I don't pronounce "then" and "than" the same.[/nq]
Being a resident MWUSS (MidWest US Speaker, I think), I must disagree about pin/pen.

[nq:1]Interesting.[/nq]
[nq:2]I hope that "physiological" comment is a joke.[/nq]
[nq:1]Careful, Don, Raymond doesn't like jokes: nothing but the facts, ma'am, nothing but the facts.[/nq]
A curious response to the post in question.
In any case it's a bunch of baloney: I like jokes just fine.

Raymond S. Wise
Minneapolis, Minnesota USA
E-mail: mplsray @ yahoo . com

[nq:1]Some of it could be physiological though. I once knew a person who could not distinguish between the words pen and pin. This was an educated person who read quite a lot.[/nq]
Only one? Many of us have encountered the pen/pin merger. When I was in school in California, and particularly my year in Oregon, I learned to specificy ink-pen (writing-pen) or sewing-pin. We might have said "stick