When it appears intentionally in print, it is generally either representing the original spelling in a work quoted...
2004, The Cambridge Guide to English Usage also compares alot to 'awhile'. ... and notes 50 appearances in the British National Corpus...
Chuck, you're not being a bit selective in your quotation there, are you? The Wiktionary article begins: Adverb: alot Common misspelling of a lot.
But I also see that's how it's spelt and set in the score. Oh well. Britten always used to spell it like that, so it has a solid musical pedigree, at least.
Hi Dave. Only selective in the fact that alot is the spelling appearing both in the score title and text underlay - and presumably in the lyricist's text. I never meant to deny that it is either a misspelling or substandard variant.
