Pronunciation of 'aunt' in the US - English Stack Exchange

According to both Webster and ODO, some Americans pronounce it as ah-nt ( /änt/ , /ɑnt/ , or /ɔnt/ ) which is pretty close to the British ah-nt ( /ɑ(:)nt/ ). EnglishLanguage&UsageStackExchangeisaquestionandanswersiteforlinguists,etymologists,andseriousEnglishlanguageenthusiasts.Itonlytakesaminutetosignup. Signuptojointhiscommunity Anybodycanaskaquestion Anybodycananswer Thebestanswersarevotedupandrisetothetop Home Public Questions Tags Users Unanswered Teams StackOverflowforTeams –Startcollaboratingandsharingorganizationalknowledge. CreateafreeTeam WhyTeams? Teams CreatefreeTeam Teams Q&Aforwork Connectandshareknowledgewithinasinglelocationthatisstructuredandeasytosearch. Learnmore Pronunciationof'aunt'intheUS AskQuestion Asked 9years,5monthsago Modified 7years,5monthsago Viewed 108ktimes 5 1 IwasundertheimpressionthatallAmericanspronouncedauntliketheinsect,ant(/ænt/),orrelativelysimilarsoundingvariantssuchasthesouthernaint(/eɪnt/).AccordingtobothWebsterandODO,someAmericanspronounceitasah-nt(/änt/,/ɑnt/,or/ɔnt/)whichisprettyclosetotheBritishah-nt(/ɑ(:)nt/).Websteroffersasimilaralternativeforthecontraction,can't. WhoaretheseAmericanswhofavourtheBritishpronunciation? american-englishpronunciationaccentpronunciation-vs-spelling Share Improvethisquestion Follow editedDec6,2014at2:22 tchrist♦ 127k4848goldbadges351351silverbadges544544bronzebadges askedJan2,2013at18:21 coleopteristcoleopterist 30.4k2727goldbadges111111silverbadges196196bronzebadges 14 3 TheIPAtranscriptionsareUS/ænt/andUK/ant/.Onecanuseamacro/ā/orcolon/a:/fortheUKone,dependingontranscriptionhabits,butvowellengthisn'tphonemicinanydialectofEnglish,soasimple/a/willdo.IdothinkthatquestionsandanswersaboutpronunciationinawrittenmediumshouldtrytousestandardEnglishphonemicsymbols.Otherwise,howdoweavoidconfusion? – JohnLawler Jan2,2013at19:16 2 Ican'ttellwhatpronunciationyou'reaskingabout:theonethatsoundsidenticaltotheinsect,ortheonethatdoesn't? – Marthaª Jan2,2013at20:36 4 Imustsecond@JohnLawler’splea:pleasepleasepleaseusestandardnotation.IPAisnotthathard,atleastforEnglishphonemicpurposes.IbelievethefiveAmericanpronunciationsofthewordauntare/eɪnt/,/ænt/,/ant/,/ɒnt/,and/ɔnt/.See,thosearen’tthathard,arethey?Andnowweallknowwhateveryoneistalkingabout. – tchrist ♦ Jan2,2013at23:14 2 @tchrist:NoteverybodyhasanIPAkeyboardlikeyou.Anysuggestionsonhowtodothateasily? – Mitch Jan2,2013at23:49 4 @tchrist,actually,Istilldon'tknowwhateveryoneistalkingabout.Whichofthosebitsofgibberishrepresentsthepronunciationthatisidenticaltotheinsect,andwhichrepresentsthepronunciationthatrhymeswith"gaunt"? – Marthaª Jan3,2013at0:43  |  Show9morecomments 8Answers 8 Sortedby: Resettodefault Highestscore(default) Datemodified(newestfirst) Datecreated(oldestfirst) 17 TheNortheast. ThisUSdialectsplatterchartshowsthatjustover75%ofAmericanspronounceauntandant(thebug)thesame.It’sbrokendownfurther,butthe~ohntpronunciationisprimarilyfromtheNortheast. Share Improvethisanswer Follow answeredJan2,2013at18:58 ipsoipso 1,80622goldbadges1919silverbadges3131bronzebadges 4 5 Morespecifically,NewEngland(includingBoston).Ifyoulookatthebreakdownbystateinthesurveyyoucite,around82%ofthepeoplepronounce"ant"and"aunt"thesameinNewYorkandNewJersey,whileonly14%doinMassachusetts. – PeterShor Jan2,2013at19:54 3 I'mfromMassachusetts.IsayAhnt.It'syourparent'ssister,notaninsect.:) – user45567 Jun6,2013at14:30 SomepeopleI'veknownwithparticularlythickVermontaccentspronounceitsimilarlyto"aren't,"withadistinct"r"sound.Itmustbefairlyraresinceitisn'tanoptiononthesplatterchartandtherearenoinstancesof"other"inVT. – JoelAnair Nov10,2014at17:55 The"awnt"(/ɒnt/)pronunciationseemstobeconcentratedmoreintheNortheast(andinAAVE),while"ahnt"(/ɑnt/)canalsobefoundconcentratedinVirginiaandtheUpperMidwest. – GArthurBrown May31,2021at4:02 Addacomment  |  6 I'vefoundtwogroupsofpeoplewhopronounceauntthatway.First,manyNewEnglanders(peoplefromtheConnecticut,RhodeIsland,Massachusetts,Vermont,NewHampshire,andMaine)doso.Also,manyAfrican-AmericansfromtheEastCoastalsopronounceauntthatway,whetherornottheyarefromNewEngland. Share Improvethisanswer Follow answeredJan2,2013at19:33 aszekelyaszekely 32711goldbadge22silverbadges66bronzebadges 3 2 Um...whichway?onerhymeswith'grant'theotherwith'lawn'(withanextra't'). – Mitch Jan2,2013at20:14 @MitchThereareatleastfive,althoughyoucanthinkofthemasfourifyouwouldlike.Seeabove. – tchrist ♦ Jan2,2013at23:20 2 @Mitch:grantandfont,please.DawnandDondonothavethesamevowelformanyofus. – PeterShor Jun6,2013at17:35 Addacomment  |  6 Thismaynotbetheanswer;however,Ijustwantedtoaddthis. IhavealwaysthoughtwhythedigraphinaunthasaTRAPvowelvariant,whereasthesamedigraphreceivesLOT/THOUGHTvowelsinothersetofwords.AfterreadingChristopherUpward'sTheHistoryofEnglishSpelling,Ihavefoundananswer. Spellingchangeandpronunciationchange > aunswar>answer haunde>hand daunce>dance braunche>branch avauntage>advantage > hanch>haunch vant>vaunt Nospellingchange,butvariantpronunciations aunt Variantspellings gauntletvsgantlet staunchvsstanch gauntryvsgantry Share Improvethisanswer Follow answeredJan2,2013at20:33 RainDoctorRainDoctor 1,2021313silverbadges1111bronzebadges 4 1 Goingbyetymonline,auntcomes"fromAnglo-Frenchaunte,OldFrenchante(ModernFrenchtante,froma13c.variant)".Weren't/aren'talltheseFrenchwordspronouncedlike/ɑ(:)n/...? – coleopterist Jan3,2013at4:37 1 MostofthemareofFrOrigin.FromChristpherUpward'sbook:"AUbeforeNwascommoninbothNormanFrandCentralFr,hencewidelyusedinwordsofFrorigin(somuchsothatwordsofOEoriginlikeanswer,handwereocassionalywrittenaunswar,haunde,etc.,inME)."IdonthavetheexactpagenumbersinceIhaveakindleebook. – RainDoctor Jan3,2013at6:41 Thankyou.Thatisslightlyatcontretempswithetymonline'slineofreasoning.AnyideawhattheOEDsays? – coleopterist Jan3,2013at14:32 1 Formsofaunt:ME–15aunte,MEawnt,ME–aunt;ME–16(mi,thi)naunt(e,18dial.noant.OEDlistsaunsware,ME–15aunswer(e,foranswer,andhaundeforhandaswell.Well,pureetymologydoesnotsettletheissue;weneedtolookatthespellinghistoryofvariouswordstocomewithahypothesisthatunifiesmanydisparatefacts;that'swhatUpward's'explanation'does.Sure,onecanpresentabetterexplanationthatUpward's. – RainDoctor Jan3,2013at17:47 Addacomment  |  3 It'samatterhowyoutreatdiphthongsinyourvernacular.I'mfromVirginiaandonaveragewesaytheAUnottheANforpronouncingouruncleswife.Thesamecanbesaidfordaughter,whichisDawter,notDwaterorDotter. Share Improvethisanswer Follow answeredDec21,2013at2:00 DannyhallDannyhall 3911bronzebadge 1 3 WelcometoELY,Danny!Youmentionadiphthong,butIbetyoudon’tuseone.TherearefivedifferentpronunciationsofthewordauntinNorthAmerica,yettheonlyonewithadiphthongistherarestofthe5.It’stheonethatsoundsjustlikeain’t,likewhenAndyGriffith(fromNorthCarolina)onhiseponymousTVshowwouldrefertohisAuntBeaasifitwerespelled“Ain’tBee”.Also,totalkaboutpronunciationshere,youreallyneedIPAnotation.The5waystosayauntinIPAare①/eɪnt/,②/ænt/,③/ant/,④/ɒnt/,and⑤/ɔnt/—withadiphthongin#1alone. – tchrist ♦ Dec21,2013at2:17 Addacomment  |  0 Iwasjustdiscussingthiswithafriendofminewhoisblack.ShewasbroughtupinNewYorkCity,hermotherandfatherwerefromMississippi.Hermother'sfamilylivedeastofNewOrleansandhavegonebackintheirfamilyhistoryaboutfourgenerationstoanancestorwhowasaslavefromMartinique.AllofthosefamilymembersspokeFrench.ThefamilyalsohaswhitebloodandIndianblood.HermaternalgrandmotherspokeFrenchandEnglishandhermotherrefusedtospeakFrench.MyfriendwasmusingoversomeladieswholivedoneithersideoftheirhomeinNYCitywhowerenotrelatedbutwerecalledaunts.OnonesidewastheEnglishpronunciationliketauntandontheothersidewastheantpronunciationandshewasn'tsurewhytherewasthatdifference.Sheusesthetauntpronunciationandshefeelsmostblackpeoplethatsheknowssaysauntthisway.Thewordtantewhenpronouncedcorrectlyisliketaun.Maybethetwaslostbuttheausoundstayed. Share Improvethisanswer Follow answeredJul17,2014at20:15 JoAnnKunkleJoAnnKunkle 1 1 1 Thiswouldbeabetteranswerifithadlessofyourpersonalstoryandmoredirectlyjusttolduswhoyouthinksayseachofthepronunciations. – curiousdannii Jul17,2014at21:52 Addacomment  |  0 "Ant"isactuallyhowNorthernerssayit.IntheSouthernUSA-especiallyinVirginiaandTheCarolinas,itispronouncedtheproperway:AW-NT "AW-NT"isSouthern,notNorthern."Ant"isYankee. Share Improvethisanswer Follow answeredNov10,2014at17:16 MeadeMeade 1711bronzebadge 2 1 Asasoutherner,that'swhatIalwaysthought.Butcheckoutthemapforaunt.Mostofthe'awnt'pronouncersareintheYankeeNortheast.Thesemapsaren'tperfect. – Mitch Nov10,2014at17:25 FromtheSouth,everybodyelseintheU.S.mayseemtofallinthesameclassof"Northerner".Butwedon'talltalkalike.Ifyoulookattheheatmap,thereseemtobethreeareaswhichsayAHNT:NewEngland,Virginia/NorthCarolina,andWesternMinnesota/theDakotas. – PeterShor Nov10,2014at18:44 Addacomment  |  0 IamfromConnecticutoriginallyandmovedtotheMidwest.Igrewupwithitas"on"t.Ialwaysthought"ant"wasamispronunciation.Aftermoving,allpeopleI'veencounteredsaid,"ant".Uponresearch,IfoundoutthatEasternVAandtheNortheast(particularlyNewEngland)say"on"twhereastherestofthecountry"ant"isstandard.Bothareconsideredcorrect. Ineverknewabout"can't"however.Evenin"puritan"CTwepronounceditlikeant.Ofcourseaunthasanothervowelandcan'tdoesn'twhichisthecause,Ibelieve.Andwhileit'salmostunheardofnow,Ienjoyedshan't.Again,pronouncedlikeant. Share Improvethisanswer Follow answeredDec16,2014at1:13 AdamAdam 911bronzebadge 2 Thisisnohelp:youdon’tusestandardIPA./eɪnt/,/ænt/,/ant/,/ɒnt/,and/ɔnt/areyourchoices.Picktwo. – tchrist ♦ Dec16,2014at1:18 1 NoteveryoneknowsIPA,andnoteveryonewhoknowsIPAknowshowtotypeIPA.Antispronouncednearlythesameeverywhere(thedistinctionbetweenaandæbeingfairlytrivial)and"'on't"oughttobeclearenoughforanyonetogrok. – phenry Dec16,2014at1:49 Addacomment  |  -4 whyistherenotanyreferencetowhereitfirstoriginated.HowdotheBritishpronounceAUnt(ont)orthesoundfromtaunt.Funnythatweputaletterinfrontofauntandwehavenoproblemsayingthelongerpronunciation.MindyouIamfromeastcoastCanada.Forgivemefornotwritingeachwordtwice....Ispellcolour,favour,andneighbourwiththe'U'.ButthenIfavour'FOR'overferand'TO'overtaaswell.SinceI'vemovedtothewestwehavebeenridiculedforourspeech(notthatmuch),mostlyAUnt. Share Improvethisanswer Follow answeredJun16,2014at0:37 DMHDMH 1 3 2 Auntandtauntdon'trhymeinEnglandortheU.S.JustinpartsofCanada. – PeterShor Jun16,2014at1:28 1 YourpostdoesnotreallyanswerthequestionaboutAmericanpronunciationofaunt,butratherposesadditionalquestionsaboutoriginsandpronunciationsanddiscussesCanadianpronunciation.Pleasetrytostayontopicandavoidaskingadditionalquestionsinananswer.Herearesomeguidelinesonwritinggoodanswers,ifyouareconfusedaboutwhatanappropriateanswerlookslike. – TheodoreBroda Jun16,2014at1:44 @PeterShorthenameofmyhomestate(Vermont)rhymeswithbothauntandtauntwhenIsaythem.IdoliveveryclosetoCanada,though. – JoelAnair Nov10,2014at17:50 Addacomment  |  Highlyactivequestion.Earn10reputation(notcountingtheassociationbonus)inordertoanswerthisquestion.Thereputationrequirementhelpsprotectthisquestionfromspamandnon-answeractivity. Nottheansweryou'relookingfor?Browseotherquestionstaggedamerican-englishpronunciationaccentpronunciation-vs-spellingoraskyourownquestion. 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