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

[Laurence Horn]

At 9:09 PM -0400 10/6/10, Barbara Need wrote:
>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


Hmph.  We New Yorkers never correct the ignorant folk who say "Mary"
when they mean either 'cheerful' (as in greetings around Christmas
time) or 'wed'.  But then we're known for our tolerance.

LH

>
>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
>
>------------------------------------------------------------
>The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org

------------------------------------------------------------
The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org