Aunt; was Re: "Authentic pronunciation" (UNCLASSIFIED)

[Barbara Need]

I  was corrected by my fourth grade (MA) spelling teacher. I have just
moved from near Cleveland and said that we had gone out to visit my
[Ant] and she asked me if I meant the little black insect and I said
no, my mother's sister, and she said, you mean your [Ont] (low back
rounded vowel). Of course, I meant nothing of the sort. Just one more
contribution to my decision NOT to adopt the accent of the Northern
Shore.

Barbara

Barbara Need
Ithaca

On 5 Oct 2010, at 5:49 PM, 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.)
>
> JL

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