"Authentic pronunciation" (UNCLASSIFIED)

[Laurence Horn]

At 5:49 PM -0400 10/5/10, Jonathan Lighter wrote:
>For a number of years, the preferred media pronunciation on both Fox and CNN
>seems to have been "Ont."
>
>One of those things I notice. I can't even tell you the last time I heard
>one of a leading telejournalists say "ant."
>
>As it was explained to me by a know-it-all some thirty-five years ago, "Ant"
>is "insulting because an ant is an insect and an Ont isn't."
>
>I couldn't argue with that logic. (Actually I could have but didn't want
>to be bothered.)
>
Yeah, makes as much sense as insisting that "two" be pronounced /two/
because "to" is a preposition, and "too" is an adverb, and "two"
isn't.

LH

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