Pronunciation: aunt - Pain in the English

Clearly, the accepted norm for the pronounciation of aunt in the U.S. is "ant". And it's true, most people who would pronounce it "ont" usually say "ax" and ... YourPainIsOurPleasure 24-HourProofreadingService—WeproofreadyourGoogleDocsorMicrosoftWordfiles.Wehategrammaticalerrorswithapassion.LearnMore YourPainIsOurPleasure 24-HourProofreadingService—WeproofreadyourGoogleDocsorMicrosoftWordfiles.Wehategrammaticalerrorswithapassion.LearnMore Pronunciation:aunt I’mnotsureifwecanaskpronunciationquestionshere.Well,I’dliketoknowthecorrectwaytopronounce“aunt,”whetherit’scloserto“ant”or“ont.”Whenyouanswer,pleasesaywhereyou’refrom.I’mcuriousifit’sanAmericanvsBritishEnglishthing. InWesternCanadawesay“ant.” Postedbyjon FiledinMisc 100comments ShareonFacebook ShareonTwitter SubmitYourComment Loginwith FacebookGoogleTwitter orfillinthenameandemailfieldsbelow: Uniqueusername/aliasEmail(willnotbepublished) Pleaseenteryourcommenthere Comments Sortby OldestLatestRating Wesay"ant"inNorthernIllinois.Ithinkit'scommoninthemidwest/Northernregionstosayitthatway. Amy_A. Jan-02-2006 28votes  Permalink  ReportAbuse IhearbothontheWestCoastoftheUnitedStates. anonymous4 Jan-02-2006 6votes  Permalink  ReportAbuse I'mfromTennessee/Alabama.Aroundherewesay"ant"asintheanimal(rhymeswith"can't").However,themajorityofpeopleofAfricandecentsay"ah-nt"(I'massumingthat'swhatyoumeanwith"ont"). Michael2 Jan-03-2006 29votes  Permalink  ReportAbuse I'mIrishandIsay'ant'.Idon'tusuallyhearthe'ont'pronunciationbutIcouldimaginesomeonewithaposhBritishaccentsayingit. Gohai Jan-03-2006 11votes  Permalink  ReportAbuse AswithpracticallyALLvowels,itdependsonwhereyouarefrom.Furthermore,thewaywearewritingthesevariationsdownisalsoaffectedbyourownvowels-'ant'foranAmericanprobablymeansalong'a',butforsomebodyfromthenorthofEnglanditmeansashort'a'.Soifwewritedown'ant'or'ont',evenwhenwegiveexamplesofthingsitmayrhymewith(forgettingthatthosevowelsalsoshift),itmightbehelpfultousethephoneticalphabetwherepossible(noteasy,ofcourse,whenpostingonaforum).Andyoushouldn'trefertothatBritishpronunciationas'posh'.Manynon-'posh'peopleusesimilarvowels. petescully Jan-03-2006 17votes  Permalink  ReportAbuse WellIliveintheBayAreainCaliforniaandI'vealwayssaid"Ont"butIdefinitelyhearpeoplesay"Ant"nowandthen.IseriouslycringewhenIhearpeoplepronounceit,"Ant." Cal1 Jan-03-2006 86votes  Permalink  ReportAbuse BertVauxatUWisconsinhasgeneratedsomenicemapsofU.S.dialect.Thelinkbelowwilltakeyoutomapsshowingthedistributionofthepronunciationof"aunt."Attheendoftheday,about3/4ofthecountrypronounces"aunt"thesamewaytheypronounce"ant."TheNortheast(whereIandmostofmyauntslive)istheregionwhere"ahnt"ismostcommon,butthisamountstoabout10%oftheU.S.population.Interestingly,about7%ofthepopulationreportsthattheysay"ant"whenreferingtoaparticularperson,but"ahnt"whenreferingtothegeneralconcept.Inmyfamily,mostofmyauntsare"ahnts"butIhaveacouplegreat"ants"whohailfromthesamewesternMassachusettshilltownthatisotherwisestockedwith"ahnts."Pleasedonotmarryintomyfamilyifyouarepartofthe3%ofAmericathatpronounces"aunt"withthesamevowelsoundasisusedin"caught.Wecouldnothandlethe(additional)confusion.Hereisthelink:http://cfprod01.imt.uwm.edu/Dept/FLL/linguistics/dialect/staticmaps/q_1.html Chris_Anderson Jan-03-2006 33votes  Permalink  ReportAbuse "aren't"/aaah-ntforme,asasoutheasternBrit Kris1 Jan-03-2006 9votes  Permalink  ReportAbuse Christhat'sagreatlink,niceone! petescully Jan-04-2006 6votes  Permalink  ReportAbuse Wepronounceauntas"ant"inthePhilippineswhereweusetheAmericanEnglishstandard. jayred7 Jan-04-2006 15votes  Permalink  ReportAbuse "ah-nt"forme,whenIheardthiswordforthefirsttimeinmylifefromanunfromIrelandin60'sinJapan kitanohuji Jan-05-2006 11votes  Permalink  ReportAbuse IntheNorthwestpartofthestates,it's"ant"99%ofthetime.IntheMidwestI'ts"ont"99%ofthetime.Inmyresearchontheoriginsoftheword"aunt",manysourcessaythatthe"ant"pronunciationistheoriginalone,but"ont"hasandisbecomingamorewidelyacceptedpronunciation.Thedictionaryalsousesthepronunciation"ant".IwishIknew. anonymous4 Jan-06-2006 5votes  Permalink  ReportAbuse Igrewupwiththe"ont"pronunciationinmyfamily(AfricanAmericafromNewJerseynot"Jois-see".)ButsinceImovedtoCAI'vemadealotoffriendsthatarePhillipinoandI'venoticedmyselfchangingto"ant"and"ant-ee".AnothercutethingIpickedupfrommyPhillipinofriendsisthetermofendearment"AuntieBaby"(ant-eebay-bee)referringtoyouryoungestAunt.Almostallmyfriendshavean"AuntieBaby"andIthinkit'sjustthecutestphrase. Penny Jan-06-2006 19votes  Permalink  ReportAbuse IlookedattheUWisconsinlinkandwasverysurprisedbytheresults.IthinkitmusthavebeenaveryCaucasianpoll.I,too,amCaucasian,butIdon'tknowanyAfrican-Americansthatpronouncetheword"ant".Allofmyblackacquaintancesandfriendspronounceit"ahnt". Megan_G Jan-07-2006 20votes  Permalink  ReportAbuse IamfromSweden,andsadlyenoughmyenglishisamish-mashofbritishenglishandamericanenglish,thereforethepronounciationdependsupontheaccentofthepersonwhomI'mtalkingto.Mybr.englishteacherhearmesaying"ah-nt"andtalkingwithfriendsinclassIusethelongvowel. Ylva Jan-08-2006 6votes  Permalink  ReportAbuse Iwouldprobablysayontbecauseifyouarereferringtoyouauntasaunty,thenitwouldn'tsoundrightifitwas(AN-tee)unlessyouhaveanewyorkaccent. Olivia1 Jan-12-2006 12votes  Permalink  ReportAbuse IgrewupinthesuburbanMidwest(KansasCityaria)andIonlyheardah-ntfromAfrican-Americankidsatschool.I'monthesoutheastcoastnowandIhearah-ntMUCHmoreoftenfrom"Southern"women.Strangely,"Southern"menfromthesamefamiliessayant. Bert Jan-18-2006 4votes  Permalink  ReportAbuse InVirginia(Therealone,notWest),wesay'ont'becausethere'sa"u"inthere.Idon'tthinkIhaveeverheardofasilent"u". Arfon Jan-18-2006 52votes  Permalink  ReportAbuse Usingthatlogic,Arfon,shouln'tyousay"awnt",rhymingwithhauntortaunt? porsche Jan-18-2006 12votes  Permalink  ReportAbuse UKwide,wepronounceit'ant'.HowdoyoulotpronouncetheGermancarmaker,Audi?Overherewesay'ow-dee.' BigJock Jan-18-2006 5votes  Permalink  ReportAbuse CentralCanadasays'ant'Britishparentssay'ant'MyFilipinaworkmatesays'ont' runningdog Jan-18-2006 3votes  Permalink  ReportAbuse InsouthernBritainonesays'arnt'~long'a'~'ont'rhymeswith'want'andisthereforewrong. jc1 Jan-19-2006 6votes  Permalink  ReportAbuse Bigjock,Ihaveheardaudipronouncedasyousaid,butIhavealsohearditpronouncedawdi,asin"audio"or"Claude." porsche Jan-19-2006 2votes  Permalink  ReportAbuse I'mfromNJ(Idon'tspeakanythinglikeaNewYorker)Isay'ant'Cal-IcringewhenIhear'ont'Ibelievethestorygoes..'ont'beingtheNewEnglandpronunciation.AftertheCivilWar,womeninNEfeltitwastheirobligationtoschoolSouthernAfricanAmericans.TheAfricanAmericanspickedupthispronunciationandithasspreadthroughoutthecountryastheymovedthroughoutthestates.'ant'isstillthemostacceptedpronunciation.TheonlyotherpeopleI'veheardsayit'ont'mispronouncemanycommonwords.I'minclinedtoputthatpronunciationinthemispronunciationcategorybecauseofthat. DM Jan-22-2006 17votes  Permalink  ReportAbuse IsayahntbecauseIdon'twanttoconfusemyauntwithanant. Adam_O Jan-25-2006 67votes  Permalink  ReportAbuse IT'SONT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!NOONEWANTSANANTFORANAUNT!AUNTSARECOOL kit Feb-03-2006 53votes  Permalink  ReportAbuse "BigJockJan-18-066:26PMUKwide,wepronounceit'ant'."Notso.InLondonpeoplesaypronounceittorhymewith'aren't'.WhenI'vebeeninthenorthofEnglandI'veheard'ant'. IDgaf Feb-07-2006 6votes  Permalink  ReportAbuse Myselfandmyroomatedisagree.Hesayshe'salwayslearnedthatit;spropertosayAnt,whileIbeingfromCanadaprounceitAunt.Wearentsure. Robert_Jefferson Feb-08-2006 4votes  Permalink  ReportAbuse Iliveinthesouth-westofenglandandwepronounceitant.Noneofmy'ants'thinkIambeingintheleastbitdemeaningorthat,inanyway,Iamlikeningthemtotheinsect.Itisacceptedasthewaywepronounceithere.Moreoftenthannotwesayauntiebutpronouncedthesamewayas'anti'.EitherwaywegetsweetiesandcakesfromourfavouriteANTI!!!Haha! Clive_Hutchings Feb-09-2006 5votes  Permalink  ReportAbuse AlsoinresponsetoIDgaf-IthinkLondonerspronounceittorhymewith'aren't'becausetheyaretryingtosoundalittleposh!!! Clive_Hutchings Feb-09-2006 3votes  Permalink  ReportAbuse "CliveHutchings Feb-9-069:26AMAlsoinresponsetoIDgaf-IthinkLondonerspronounceittorhymewith'aren't'becausetheyaretryingtosoundalittleposh!!!"whatastrangetheory...itseemstomethatthearen't-rhymingpronunciationisacorruptionoftheoriginal,whichsoundedmorelike"awnt",ibelieve.ithasbeenfurthercorruptedovertheyearsbyregionalidiosyncracies,whichisfine,ithappensallthetime.if(orrather*when*)Londonerspronounceit"aren't",theyaredoingsobecausetheyareinLondon,inthesouthofEngland!"ant"isnorthernonly.here'sachallenge-whocanfindanotherwordinwhichthe"au"ispronouncedas"ar"? Huck Mar-13-2006 3votes  Permalink  ReportAbuse Ihavenofamily,Iamgay. nick_skewes Mar-24-2006 7votes  Permalink  ReportAbuse Allyouhavetodoislookinadictionary.Thewordispronouncedlike"ant"unlessyou'reblack,thenit's"ahnt".That'srightStan,blackssay"ax"and"axed"butsodoalotofwhitepeopleintheNewOrleansarea. Rose_Weiss Apr-19-2006 2votes  Permalink  ReportAbuse R-N-T.TheUmakesasoundtoo.AUispronouncedasR.EnglishisEnglish,notAmerican.AsaBrit'Ithinkit'stimetheAmericanscalledtheirLanguagesomethingelse.It'snotEnglish-it'sbeenbastardisedtoomuch! bigbluefeckmonkey Apr-20-2006 14votes  Permalink  ReportAbuse Lozza,WhataboutAppalachianEnglish,whichisknowntobemoreconservativethanmostotherdialects?TheEnglishspokeninTennessee,Kentucky,theCarolinas,andsurroundingareasretainsmanyofthefeaturesofEnglishspokennorthernEngliandinthe18thcentury.Andwhyevenhavetheletter"r"ifyoucan'tpronounceit?TheEnglishtalklikethey'refromBostonorsomething("pahkyacahinhahvahdyahd").WhileIfindtheTexaninsertionof"r"intowordswhereitdoesn'tbelong(i.e.,"idear,""drawring")tobeannoying,ImustpointoutthatAmericanEnglish,inrecognizingtheexistenceoftheletter"r,"hasgivenusoneoftheworld'smostuniquephonemes:therotacizedr.InEngland,theword"bird"pronounced"beud,"twoconsonantsandavowel,that'sit.Howboring.InAmerica,weusethe"r"asavowel("r,"beingaliquid,hasflexibleproperitesandhascloseaffinitieswithvocalicsounds.Notealso,"L,"andsemivocalicglides"w,""y").Didyouknowthatlessthanonepercentoftheworld'slanguageshavethisphoneme,therotacizedr?Ha!It'sYOUguyswhohavebastardized(notetheintentional"z")English! A_O Apr-22-2006 16votes  Permalink  ReportAbuse SohowdoyousayAUDI..Ibeliveitsowdee.. BA May-02-2006 4votes  Permalink  ReportAbuse Isay'ant'and'Aw-di'asinClaude,oraudio.I'mIrish. Michelle_Mc May-03-2006 2votes  Permalink  ReportAbuse You'reallabunchofracistmoronswithtoomuchtimeonyourhands.IknowplentyofAfrican-Americanpeoplethatcanspeakcirclesaroundany"white"person.So,yourcommentsof"blacks"sayingtheword'ax'insteadof'ask'andthepronunciationofauntvs.'ant'beinga"blackthing"iscompletelyoutofline.Iwouldhopethatyouwouldre-examineyourtheoriesandfindtrueandfactualhypothesesbasedonresearchandnothearsay! gimmieabreak Jul-05-2006 62votes  Permalink  ReportAbuse HeyStan,whydon'tyougobacktoyourukelele?UphereinNewEngland(forgeographicilliterateslikeyou,we'realsoAmericans),wepronounceit"ahnt",ok?Nothingwrongwiththat,andpronouncingitliketheinsecthasalwayssoundedweirdtome. Tim3 Jul-14-2006 43votes  Permalink  ReportAbuse It'smyunderstandingthatmostblackAmericansdescendedfromslavesthatworkedintheowner'shomesayontinsteadofthemorecommonlyacceptableantforaunt.That'sbecausethisisthewayitwaspronouncedbytheirslaveholdingproperEnglishowners(circa1700's)inthesouthandthenbytheirdescendants.Itisavestiegeofslavedays.Manyoldsouthernfamiliesstillsayontjustasblacksdo.ItbelongstothesouthernplantationsandtheEnglishspeakingslaveowners.IfIwereblack,Iwouldsurelynotsayitthatway. Sandy1 Jul-17-2006 4votes  Permalink  ReportAbuse WeinIndianormallysay'Ont.' deepak_ Jul-20-2006 8votes  Permalink  ReportAbuse ITSANT.IALSOCRINGEWHENIHEARWHITEPEOPLEAHNT.BUTILIKEITWHENIHEARBLACKPEOPLEANT(ANDSOMEDO:) Dan_B. Jul-21-2006 6votes  Permalink  ReportAbuse Isayboth"aunt"and"ant".....Idrivemyselfcrazywithit.....WhenIsay"ant"Ifeellikeatotalhillbillyandsocorrectmyselfbysaying"aunt"eventhoughIdon'treallyknowwhichisactuallyright...SoIprobablyendupsoundinglikeevenmoreofidiotbysayingbothwaysthanifIweretojustpickonealready!THANKSJUSTINforpointingthisouttome!-punk! Tara_from_Ohio Aug-06-2006 6votes  Permalink  ReportAbuse ApersonfromWorcester,Mass.,oncesawacartoonwithacoupleonapicnicblanketandabunchofoldladieswalkingbyandthecaption,"Whatwouldapicnicbewithoutaunts!"ANDDIDN'TGETITbecausehepronouncedthewordauntasont.HerememberedthecartoonDURINGadiscussionoftheant/ontpronunciation.MyfatherwasEnglish,andbothsetsofgrandparentswerefromEngland(Yorkshire),andwepronouncedthewordahnt.TheOxfordEnglishnotesthatChaucerspelledaskasax,andthatmostofEnglanddid,too,upuntilthetimeofShakespeare.Post-Shakespearethewordbecameask.SotheAfrican-AmericanpronunciationsofaxandahntprobablybothcamefromolderEnglishpronunciations.TheBritsuseautumnratherthanfall,butourtermfalloriginatedwithaBritphrase"thefalloftheleaves"whichdisappearedthere. Bob3 Aug-08-2006 13votes  Permalink  ReportAbuse I'mfromSaltLakeCity,Utah,andIsay"ant."MywifeisfromtheSanFranciscoBayarea,andshesays"ant."IhaveneverheardaWesternersay"ont."WeliveinVirginianow,andonceinawhileIhearsomeonesay"ont."Peopledon'ttypicallytalkaboutauntsinVirginia--theytalkaboutpropertyvalues,whichisfarmoreannoyingthan"ont."IlivedinRhodeIslandforafewmonths,notlongenoughthatIrememberanyonesaying"ont"insteadof"ant,"butlongenoughthatIrememberafewpeoplesaying"con't"insteadofcan't.Merriam-Websterlists"ant"before"ont"butdoeslistbothpronunciations.Forcan't,itliststhree:can't,"con't,"and"cain't"("especiallySouthern"itsays).Finally,Ifind"ont"mildlyannoyingbutnotworthcomplainingabout(exceptwhenanonymousontheInternet).:-) shepshep Sep-05-2006 10votes  Permalink  ReportAbuse IamfromVirginiaandourfamilyalwayshassaid"ont."Myhusband'sfamilyallsay"ant"andtheythinkIamtryingtobeposhwithmypronunciation,butIcan'thelpit.Mychildrenhavetwokindsoffemalerelativesoftheirparents,"ants"and"onts."Oneformyhusband'ssideandoneformine.Theywillgrowupconfused!IamamedicaltranscriptionistsoIhearlotsofpronunciationsandmosteveryonesays"ant,"exceptmeandmyextendedfamily.Thisisdefinitelyaregionalthingandhasnothingtodowithyourlevelofeducationoryourrace. Liz1 Sep-19-2006 28votes  Permalink  ReportAbuse I'manEnglishteacherinTurkey.Herewesayandteachitasont/ahntplusmyAmericanfriendwhoseEnglishIlikealotpronouncesitthesame.I'mhertwins'ahntiee:)(she'sfromPennysylvenia) Burcak Sep-19-2006 11votes  Permalink  ReportAbuse IhavetosaythatIamablackwomanandyes,Ipronounce"AuntasOnt",andnoIdon'tdosobecauseIamblack.Idon'tknowwhyAuntwouldbepronouncedant.Itdoesn'tsoundrighttome.Ant=Ant.MydictionarystatesthatAuntcanbepronouncedtwoways:Aunt(antoränt)Foreveryonethatistryingtomakeitseemsasifonlyblackpeoplesay"ont"insteadof"ant",youneedtostopstereotypingandopenyoureyestotherealworld!Anotherthing,forthepersonthatsaidthatblackpeoplesay"ax"-Isayask.Oh,andifablackpersonhassaid"ax",inyourpresence,Iamsureheorshewasn'ttheonlyracethathavedoneso. Arch Sep-20-2006 38votes  Permalink  ReportAbuse HeyDanB....AHNT!AHNT!AHNT!AHNT!AHNT!AHNT!BeingaGerman/AmericanwhogrewupinthemidwestIalwayshavesaidahnt.Mywife,whoisanEnglishmajorsaysitssupposedtobepronounced"ant"asinthedictionary.Butaccordingtome,sheandthedictionaryarewrong.Theydonotpronounce"automobile"asatomobile. Klaus Sep-20-2006 26votes  Permalink  ReportAbuse Yes,butKlaus,it'snotpronouncedahtomobileeither.It'sawtomobile,andauntisn'tpronouncedawnt.Regardless,comparingsimilarlyspelledwordsinEnglishisalmostmeaningless.Therearesomanydifferentwordoriginsthatthesamespellingcanhavemanydifferentpronunciations.Thesamepronunciationcanalsohaveadozendifferentspellings.PS-Thedictionaryissupposedtorepresentaconsensusandbeafinalarbitertoallowsomecommonmethodofcommunication.Ahntisalsolistedinthedictionary(albeitafterant),soahntisn'twrong.Accordingtothedictionary,antmaybepreferred,orperhapsmorecommon.Tosaythedictionaryiswrongseemsanoddpointofview.ThedictionaryissimplyarulebookthatweasanEnglishspeakingsocietyagreetoabidebysothatwecanallhaveacommongroundforcommunication.You'recertainlyfreetosayauntanywayyoulike,butitseemsabitself-centeredtothinkthattherestofsocietyiswrong. porsche Sep-20-2006 10votes  Permalink  ReportAbuse Ihavealwayspronounced"aunt"withanignored"u".Iwould,ifconvincedIwasinerror,makeaconcertedefforttochange.Ihadgiventheword"aunt"apicnicpestsname"ant"IfIpronounceitaunt,givingrecognitiantothe"u",Iwouldsoundlikeagoose....."auunt-auuntauunt"OrIcouldgiveitaOpietranslationandcallit"Aint" marionballe Oct-02-2006 3votes  Permalink  ReportAbuse Aah-n-tformeImsouthafrican,indianManyoftheblackpopulationsayant,sincetheyhavelearntalotoftheenglishlanguagefromAmericanmovies,Thewhitepopulation(influncedbyDutchsettlersandEnglishcolanisation)sayont.Itdefinatelyisdependantonbackground Meya Oct-20-2006 5votes  Permalink  ReportAbuse Clearly,theacceptednormforthepronounciationofauntintheU.S.is"ant".Andit'strue,mostpeoplewhowouldpronounceit"ont"usuallysay"ax"andgenerallyspeakingaren'tthebrightestfolks. bubbha Oct-29-2006 2votes  Permalink  ReportAbuse It'sashamethatsomepeoplearesothinnedskinnedandself-righteousthattheyfind"racism"insuchaninnocuousdiscussion.Ifitistruth,whyareyousoweakandinsecurethatyouwouldscreamracism?Thereareracialdifferences,culturally,linguistically,physiologically,etc.Anyonethatclaimsotherwiseiseitheraliarorafool.Andifacknowledgingthatthereareracialdifferencesisracism,thenscienceisracist.Growup. jim2 Oct-30-2006 9votes  Permalink  ReportAbuse Ican'trecallhearing"ont"fromaCanadian,butI'vehearditfairlyoftenintheUS.Still,mostAmericansofmyacquaintance,eastorwest,say"ant" Ted1 Nov-10-2006 2votes  Permalink  ReportAbuse AsanAmericanwhoselivedinEnglandoffandon,Ihearantandontboth,buttobeconsistent,ifyousayontforauntyoushouldthensaynev-yewfornephew! Sonny Nov-21-2006 3votes  Permalink  ReportAbuse myamericanfriendssayant.inthephilippineswesayont. John4 Dec-06-2006 3votes  Permalink  ReportAbuse WhatisChrisonabout(Oct29)?"Ax"insteadof"Ask",whichis'common'here.InAustraliawetendtohavemoreofanAh-nt;almosthalfwaybetweenantandohnt.IntheSouth,suchasVictoria,itisasoftsound,andfurthernorth,towardstheTopEnd,itbecomesstronger,like'Arnt' TJ Dec-11-2006 2votes  Permalink  ReportAbuse GrowingupinNewEngland,everyonepronouncedaunt"ahnt".JustasinAUGUST,AUTO,AUTHENTIC,.Theonlytimeweeverheard"ant"wasontvshows.Like"Leaveittobeaver." Steve_B. Dec-24-2006 20votes  Permalink  ReportAbuse I'manAfricanAmerican,andyes,Ipronouncethewordinquestionas"Ont."However,Ihavenever"axed"anyoneforanythinginmylife.*FYI;ThoughI'mfromtheMidwest,thatMidwesternflat"A"/spittingmonosyllabicwordsintotwosyllablesmakesmecringe(e.g.pants==pi-ance,slacks==sli-akhsetc...) opus_125 Jan-12-2007 16votes  Permalink  ReportAbuse Ifinditstrangethatitistheonly"aunt"wordthatisnotpronouncedphoneticallyorwithemphasisonallofthevowels.Examples:chauntdauntGauntletflaunthauntjaunttauntIdonotimaginepeoplesay,“Whataprettyafternoon,let’sgoforajant,shallwe?”“Wow,thatwasadantingtask.”“Ifyou’vegotit,flantit!”Amajorityusagedoesnotmakeitagrammaticalrule.Itjustmeansalotofpeoplesayitincorrectlyinmyopinion,butwhatever.Itisnotabigdeal.Ishallsimplyrevelinmycorrectnessandlaughateveryoneelseastheyrunthroughthegantletoftheenglishlanguageandflanttheirpoorpronunciations.Ihopenooneisupsetbymytanting.PSImregardsto“ask,”Iknowblackandwhitepeoplethatdropthe“sk”andreplaceitwithan“x.”But,Idonotalotofblacksthatsay“ax”asopposedto“ask.”Ontheotherhand,Iknowalotofwhitepeoplethatreplacethe“k”withanadditional“s.”Itmakesforsomegreatselfentertainment.“Hey,Bobby,letmeassyou?”“Yeah,goahead.” boardturtle Feb-01-2007 43votes  Permalink  ReportAbuse InSoutheasternVirginia(Tidewater/HamptonRoadsRegion)Foranyonewithclassorregionallinguisticpride,"Aunt"usuallysoundslike"caught"and"haunt"becauseofourconnectionwiththeoriginalpeoplefromEnglandthatcameinthe1600's.Thereisa"u"inthereforareasonpeople,anditshouldnotbeignored. jim2 Feb-28-2007 25votes  Permalink  ReportAbuse Neilbert,youmakeaninterestingobservation,butthedebateisbetween"a"ntand"ah"nt.NEITHERonerhymeswithanyofthe-auntwordsyoulist.Theyareallpronounced"-aw"nt.Soifthemajorityofthepopulationsays"ant"andaccordingtoyouthey'reincorrect,theremainingminoritywhosay"ahnt"mustalsobeincorrectaccordingtoyou,so,er,um,IguessEVERYBODYisincorrect??TheentireEnglishspeakingworld??Evenyou??(Icanonlyassumeyousay"ahnt"sinceyouhaveonlycriticizedthemajority-spoken"ant") porsche Feb-28-2007 4votes  Permalink  ReportAbuse Ipronounceit"ont"not"ant".There'snowrongorrightway.Eitherwayisfine.Also,notjustAfricanAmericanspronounceit"ont".Idon'tthinkithastodowitheducation,SESorrace.ThewayIseeitis:Thereisa"u"A+U=Oaunt=ontandant(insent)=ant,butifIhearsomeonesay"ant"idon't"cringe"becauseiknowwhattheyarereferringtoandthat'swhatcommunication/languageisallabout. DL1 May-10-2007 12votes  Permalink  ReportAbuse Inresponsetotheabovecomments:TherearemanywordsintheQueen'sEnglishthataresimilarinspellingbutpronounceddifferently.Justbecause"au"isapartof"jaunt"orwhateverexamplessomeonegave,doesn'tmeanit'spronouncedthesame.SpeakingofCananda,"Newfoundland",isnotpronounced"new-found-land"....right?!It'spronounced"new-fin-lind".I'mnotsayingthatantorontiseithercorrectorincorrect,....butyoucan'tgivetheaboveexamplesasfact.ThatwouldsurelyshowyourignorranceandthegoodQueenshallhaveyourhead.Goodday. JoeMama May-18-2007 6votes  Permalink  ReportAbuse Allritem8im4myeovilinenglandiwerentevervsaynuttinboutnoantonlideposhiessayauntweaintfackinsayinnuttinlikedat.YankeeFackers Whyster91 May-21-2007 4votes  Permalink  ReportAbuse UnitedUnitedUnitedpremChamps07United Whyster91 May-21-2007 1vote  Permalink  ReportAbuse Everyonetakeadeepbreath,OK?itdoesn'tmatter,tomato,tomahto.WTF,IamfromtheWestCoastorigniallyandhavealwayspronounceditauntasin"ont"andeveryonecangoblow.Everyonemockseachotheroverthestupidestthings,getoveryourself.Toodles,IwishIhadnoteverfoundthiswebpage... Monica2 Jun-04-2007 14votes  Permalink  ReportAbuse iamfromarkansasandisayontbutiam1outofamillionbutihaveneversaidantewwwwwww!!! Heather3 Jun-10-2007 7votes  Permalink  ReportAbuse EveryoneIknowsaysant..southernsaskatchewancanada Amy_ Jun-11-2007 2votes  Permalink  ReportAbuse Ok,I'mreallygoingtothrowawrenchintheworks.Theargumentsofarasbeenbetweenantandahnt.Well,forthosewhosayant,howmanysayitwiththesameassonanceashat,cat,at...andhowmanysayitwiththesamevowelsoundascare,air,etc.?Andforthosewhosayahnt,howmanysayitlikefont,con,ponder,anddoanysayitlikeawnt,asinfawn,pawn,launder?There,that'sfourdifferentwaystosayitnow!Ofcourse,someofitisregional.Manyofyoumayrecognizethis:"MerryMaryMarriedHairyHarry."Somepeople(andI'vemetsome)willpronounceeveryvowelinthatsentenceexactlythesame(alllike"air"). anonymous4 Jun-12-2007 12votes  Permalink  ReportAbuse Totheignoramouswhowrotethis^^^^Whatyouhavewrittenisacompletewasteofanyone'stime.Pleaserefrainfromthistypeofgarbageinthefutureandconsultyourdictionarynexttimebeforemakingmydayalittleworse.merrymarymarriedhairyharry,whatanidiot. Smarter_than_a_chimp Jun-16-2007 2votes  Permalink  ReportAbuse HeyCHIMP,IthinkitisYOUwhoneedstocheckthedictionary,youIGNORAMUS.Whatexactlyisyourobjectiontothepreviouspost?Itseemedtometobealightheartedattempttomakesomeinterestingpoints.Itwasrelevant,andnolessvalidthananythingelseinthisthread.And"MerryMary..."happenstobecommonlyusedintheformalstudyofaccentsanddialectstoexemplifyAnonymousespointexactly.Youareextremelyrudeandshouldmakeyourattackssomewhereelse.they'renotappreciatedhere.Youmightwanttorethinkyourpseudonym,too.Comparingyouthethemisaninsulttoprimateseverywhere. chuck_EEE Jun-16-2007 11votes  Permalink  ReportAbuse WellIagree...MerryMary...etc.,isallpronouncedthesame.Wearenotdiscussingaccentshere,wearediscussingthecorrectpronunciation.EveryenglishspeakingcountryandstateIhavebeentopronouncesthemoneandthesame. Sara_K. Jun-18-2007 2votes  Permalink  ReportAbuse Okay,nowI'mtotallybaffled.I'vebeenamuseduntilnowwithhowverydistressedandevenholier-than-thoupeoplecanbeaboutmereregionalisticpronunciations!Butthisnew"MerryMaryMarriedHairyHarry"thingshasmescratchingmyhead~howcanallofthesePOSSIBLYbepronouncedtheexactsameway??? amazed Jun-22-2007 2votes  Permalink  ReportAbuse I'msurprisedtoseeyousaythat,Sara.Iamverycurious.Exactlywhatpartofthecountryareyoufrom?Donote,Thedictionarylistsfourdifferentanddistinctpronunciations.IthasbeenmyexperiencethatmostEnglishspeakingpeoplepronouncethemalldifferently,withfourdifferentvowelsoundsaswell.ThisappliestoAmericans,British,andotherswhospeakEnglishasaninternationallanguage.HereinInthenortheasternUS/NewEnglandareaIhaveneverheardthempronouncedthesameeither.Imetonepersonincollegewhohadatwangyruralaccent(notsurefromwhere)whodidpronouncethemallthesame.Whatwasparticularlyinterestingis,notonlydidshesaythemthesame,shealsocouldnothearthedifferencewhensomeoneelsesaidthemdifferently!Itmostdefinitelyisaregional/accentvariation.See,amazed?Youahvaenoreasontobebaffled. chuck_EEE Jun-22-2007 2votes  Permalink  ReportAbuse August;autumn;autonomy;aunt;automotive;etc.,antdoesnot"work".aunt=(au)ntsoundinglikethe"au"soundnot(an)soundYes,I'mfromNewEnglandwhichwassettledbytheEnglish Pauline_Perry Jun-26-2007 14votes  Permalink  ReportAbuse It'sdiscussionslikethisthatbringmetounderstandwhatGodwasthinkingwhenhedestroyedtheTowerofBabelandgavethepeopleoftheworlddifferentlangauges(orhoweverthestorygoes).Thisissue--isitantorahnt--hasbeenpoundedforaboutayearandahalf,fosteringanenvironmentforabsoluteassertions,insults,immensepride,andallthethingsthatmaketheworldanastyplace.Thankfully,weareallnerdsandnerdsdonotwieldguns.Ourequivalentsingovernment,unfortunately,do.Personally,Isayahnt.Iamwhite.IamAmerican.IfeelnoconnectionwiththeBritishheritagethatIlack(myparentsimmigrantsfromsomewherethatisn'tBritain).Iwillcontinuetosayahntforeverandnothingwillstopme.Furthermore,ifyousayant(orawntorointoraintorowntorwhatever),that'sterrific. AO Jun-26-2007 9votes  Permalink  ReportAbuse DoesnoonepronounceitthewaytheydoonTheAndyGriffithShow,likeAin't.RememberAintBea?I'mfromTexasandalotofcentralTexasfolkssayit"aint".Formyself,sometimesIsayahntandsometimesIsayant.AndIthinkahntsoundsthemostsophisticatedandaintsoundstheleastsophisticated.ButwhatdoIknow? Jo_Ann Jun-29-2007 6votes  Permalink  ReportAbuse IamAcrackWhoreandhavenolife..... Evlien_Phillips Jul-04-2007 4votes  Permalink  ReportAbuse wentthruallthecommentsandgatheredfewwordswith'au'audioaudicarauctionaugustauxillaryautumnaugmentauthoraudienceauditauditoriumautoauspiciouscautionseeforyourselfhowtheysound.soauntmustsoundlike'aunt'andnot'ant' Sukeshini Jul-07-2007 12votes  Permalink  ReportAbuse Sukeshini,Isuggestyouscrollupandlookatthepreviousposts.Noneofthewordsyoulistedarepronouncedlike"aunt".WhileIseemtoberepeatingmyself,somepronounceauntas"ant"andsomepronounceitas"ahnt",butallofthewordsyoulistarepronouncedwithan"aw-"sound,notan"ah-"sound,soyourlistreallydoesn'tproveanything.Veryfew(IsupposeIcan'tsaynone)pronounceitas"awnt".Besides,suchalistismeaningless."au"hasmanydifferentpronunciationsdependingontheword."Laugh"usestheshort"a"soundlike"ant"."Gauge"soundslike"ay"."Faux"soundslike"oh".Noneofthishasanythingtodowithhowtopronounce"aunt".Unfortunately,neitherdoesyourlist(whichisn'tpronouncedlikeANYversionofaunt,anyway). porsche Jul-09-2007 7votes  Permalink  ReportAbuse Howdoyoupronouncethefollowing:augustauthorautomobileauxilaryaustinaustereautonomySeeapatternhere?Isimplydon'tseewhythe'ant'pronunciationofauntisthemorewidelyaccepted.Infact,Ican'tthinkofanyotherwordswiththe'au'beginningthatarepronouncedlike'ant'...cananyone?The'ont'waytosayitseemsmuchmorelogical.(Thenagain,whendidlogiceverrulewithAmericanEnglish?...) John4 Jul-09-2007 14votes  Permalink  ReportAbuse John,whydoesthe'ont'wayseemmorelogicaltoyou?noneofthewordsyoulistedhavethesamevowelsoundas'ont'.NOTONE!!!Theyallhavean'aw'sound,whichwouldbe'awnt'notont.Thisinfohasbeenpostedthreetimesalready.Most(NOTALL!!!)'au'wordsarepronounced'aw',butsowhat?Didn'tyoureadthepostimmediatelybeforeyours?? anonymous4 Jul-10-2007 4votes  Permalink  ReportAbuse ResponsetoAnonymous(previouspost):vowelsarealwaysambiguous.Consonantsvaryminimallyfromonedialecttothenextbutmainlyit'svowelsthatdistinguishspeechforms.ThevowelsinthewordsJohngives,alongwiththatintheword"aunt,"canberenderedinastaggeringvarietyofwaysdependingonwhereyourefromSomaybe,forsomepeople,oandawarethesame. Anonymous_II Jul-11-2007 6votes  Permalink  ReportAbuse Iwassoamazedtolearnthattheword"aunt"hascausedsuchcontroversyinourworld.Iwasreallybotheredaboutthepronunciation,soIdecidedtolookupthewordontheinternetandclickedonthissite.IamgladtofindoutthatIamnotalone.Myfamilysays"ant"and"ont."Ithink"ont"soundsbetter. CynthiaAnn Jul-12-2007 5votes  Permalink  ReportAbuse Mywife,fromtheMidwestsays'ant'.IamfromNewEngland,andIsay'aunt'.I'dliketothinkbecauseofmyhigherSATscores,Iamsmarter.However,asIdidmyresearch(loser)onthisissue,IrealizedwhatadopeIam.Doesitreallymatter?Certainlynot.Ihavealwayshowever,takengreatprideinpronouncingwordscorrectly,andtypicallywordsfrequentlyusedinAmericabutmoreforeignintheiroriginsposethegreatestchallenge.FiletMignonforexample,ispronouncedFill-etminyone(rhymingwithmoanandaccentedattheendoftheword.)However,whenanAmericantriestosoundtooFrenchpronouncingit,he/shesoundssnooty.Aunt/Antdoesn'thavethesameimplicationsIthinkatleast,becauseit'samuchmorecommonlyusedexpression,andthereforelocaldialectisacceptable...andbytheway,Iwastherefore,wronginmydisagreementwithmywife.I'lltellheronour70thanniversarywhichisstillhalfacenturyaway... ydoesitmatter Jul-16-2007 6votes  Permalink  ReportAbuse AnonymousII,Iagreewithmostofwhatyousaid,exceptforonething.It'sprettymuchirrelevanttowhatIsaid.I'msurethatthereexistsarelativelysmallgroupwhoseregionalismswouldmakethemunabletosayorhearan"ah-"soundandhear/sayitas"aw-",butsowhat?themajoritysayauntlike"ant",andmostotherssayitas"ah-nt".thevastmajoritysayeitherantorah-nt.Usingasmallminority'sinabilitytodistinguishbetweentwocommonlyrecognizeddifferencesinvowelsoundsah-andaw-(justlookateverysingledictionary)surelycannotbeusedtojustifyrejectingthemorecommonpronunciation.IstandbywhatIsaidbefore.thepointhasalreadybeenmadeseveraltimes.Listingabunchofwordsthathavethevowelsound"aw-"cannotbeusedtosupportthepronunciation"ah-"overthetheslightlymorecommon"a".Itdoesn'tmatterifafewpeoplecan'thearthedifferencebetween"ah-"and"aw-".Thefactis,mostpeoplecan.And,regardless,thereareplentyofwordsspelled"au",thatAREpronounced"ah-"and"a",and,whilewe'reatit,"ow"(rhymeswithhow,cow,etc.),"owe",etc.SoshouldIclaimthatauntshouldhavethesamevowelsoundascow?Howonewordoralistofwordsispronouncedjustdoesn'thaveanythingtodowithhowanyotherparticularwordshouldbepronounced.Englishisfilledwithmanywordsofdifferentoriginswherethesamespellinghasmanydifferentpronunciations.Perhapsyou'refamiliarwith"ghoti"? anonymous4 Jul-21-2007 3votes  Permalink  ReportAbuse Wow!IdidnotexpecttoevenfindananswertomyquestionItypedinGooglewhichwasasfollows:"whydoblackpeoplepronounceauntdifferentthanwhitepeople?"AndIguessIwillneverknowwhyeither.LOLIdon'tthinkitisaregionalthingaseverywhitepersonIknowsaysaunt"ant"andeveryblackpersonIknowsaysaunt"awnt"or"awnty"whichthelatterdrivesmenutsforsomereason.:)I'vebeenwatchingthosecourtroomdramashowsonTV(I'munemployeedatthemoment)hencethereasonIameventakingthetimetoresearchthissillysubject.Anditdoesnotseemtomatterwhatcityorareatheyarefilmedorwherethelitigantsarefrom,blackpeoplepronounceaunt"awnt"or"awnty".SomeonementionedthatitcomesfromthewaytheEnglishpronounceit.Wellifthatisthecasethenwhydon'twepronouncethewordlittlewithno"t"soundinthewordthewaytheydo?Thatisjustonesmallexample.Onanothernote...I'vetravelledalloverourcountryandhaveheardmanyaccents.Somesubtlesomedownrightannoying.ButwhereverIgoandturnonaTVtowatchthenews/weather,theanchorperson/weatherperson,alwaysspeaksorpronouncestheirwordsthewayIdo.Ihaveneverheardasouthernaccent,Bostonian(nor's)accentoranebonicspeakingaccentonaTVnewscast.Whyisthat?Whatusuallygoesthroughmyheadis"isthispersonfromaroundtheareaIliveoriginally?"ordotheybeattheaccentoutofthembeforetheyallowthemtogoontheair?hahaha dan1 Jul-26-2007 3votes  Permalink  ReportAbuse theybeatitoutoftheminjournalismschool.samewithbroadcastingschool.announcersaresupposedtosound"generic",whichonecouldalsocallboringorevenrobotic.butthatmightbeacharacterjudgmentaswell.... amazed Jul-26-2007 3votes  Permalink  ReportAbuse MyfamilywentthroughtheseriousdustbowlyearsofOkla/TexasandsomeofmyolderrelativessayAINT.AsinoldAINTEdna.Ilovethediffernetregionaldialects. OKIE Aug-04-2007 3votes  Permalink  ReportAbuse IbefromDetroit.Igots13aunts.Icalls6bitchandIcalls7ho.Nowletmeaxyousumpin.HowscomeinEnglandtheysaysfagwhentheymeanscigaretandherewesaysfagandmeansNeilbertorChuckEEE? Tyrone Aug-23-2007 5votes  Permalink  ReportAbuse regardlessofhowyoupronounceanything,it'sjustretardedtothinkthatbeingblackhasanythingtodowithhowyouspeak.dialectandpronunciationareregionaltraits.so,yes,itoftenhappensthatalotofpeoplefromanareaareofthesameraceandspeakthesameway,buttheconnectionbetweenraceandspeechissuperificial;it'sproximitythatmatters.onanothernote,ihavealwaysassociated"ont"withthenewenglandaccent.mymom'sfamily,whoareallfromBostonsay"ont"andusedtoyellatmeforsaying"ant."ontheotherhand,mydad(who'sblack!)isfromthewestcoastandistheonewhotaughtmetosay"ant."finally,peoplespeakindifferentregistersdependingonthesituationtheyarein...i,forexample,callmymom'ssisters"onts"andmydad'ssisters"ants."it'simpossibletotalktopeoplewithoutsubtlyadoptingthevernacularofthegroupyou'rein! anonymous4 Aug-30-2007 6votes  Permalink  ReportAbuse WellImustsay,I'mastonishedtoseesomanypostsonthesubject.I'mfromthemidwest,andmywholefamilypronouncesthe"au"intheword"aunt"justlikethe"au"ispronouncedinthewords"guant"or"flaunt".Ithinkeveryoneisrunningaroundincircleswiththewhole"ont""ahnt"and"awnt".RealisticallyIthinkeveryonehasoneoftwovariationsofthewordintheirverbalarsenal.Peopleeithersay"ant"or"aunt"("au"likein"flaunt"),andbasedupontheirethnicandregionalbackgrounds,allofthesederivationstakeplace.Inmypersonalopinion,Iammorelikelytoaccept"aunt"("au"pronouncedlikethe"au"in"flaunt")asthecorrectpronunciationofthewordforthesolepurposethatitfollowstheunvarying,uniformpatternofeveryotherwordintheEnglishlanguagethatcontainsthestringofletters"aunt".It'sveryhardforpeopletoacceptthattheremaybetworightanswers,butthere,infact,maybe.P.S.IfoundTyrone'spostthefunniestandmostentertainingofallthepostsonthispage.Itwasanicechangeofpacefromthemundane,repetitive,andoftenmeaninglessargumentsthateveryoneelseistryingtomake. Matt2 Sep-05-2007 3votes  Permalink  ReportAbuse HelloeverybodyJusttosaythatIwasreallyamusedatthispost.Ithinkthatenglishispossiblytheonlylanguageintheworldwhereyoucanhavesuchadiscussion…oratleasttheonlyindo-europeanlanguagethatdonothaverulestorelateprononciationandspelling.Bythewayisanyonethereintheaudiencethatcanexplainmewhyisthatso?Imeanhowcomesthatenglishseemstobetheonlylanguageintheworld(OKIdon’tknowaboutchinese)whereyoudon’thavesimplerulestolinksignsonpaperandsounds?Thanksinadvance gvertigo Sep-17-2007 1vote  Permalink  ReportAbuse It'salltodowiththerisingpowerofEnglandinWorldWarI,alongwithAmericaandtheirconsequentialcolonisingofotherpartsoftheworld,eitherpolitically,orculturally,whichcausesittobehyper-inclusiveofamultitudeoflanguages.Also,forwantofabetterword,itisanuncreativelanguage,whichseekstoretainthespellingsoftheoriginallanguagesitborrowedfrom,ratherthanderiveitsownform.Andyes,Chinesewillbeaschallenging,becauseitisatonallanguage,amongstmanyothers(ithas4tones,andonetoneless),andeachtonehasasmanyas25differentcharacterstoit.Sometimes,Chinesewordswillmimicthepronunciationoftheforeignworditistryingtoreferto,simplyforlackofhavingitsownvocabularyforit.Imaginetryingtofigureoutwhichcharactersandtonestheforeignwordswillconjure(e.g.,'Hamburger'ispronouncedas'HANBAOBAO',andunlessyouknowchinese,you'llhaveahardtimeploughingthroughmorethanafewhundreddifferentcombinationsofcharacteswiththesamephoneticsymbols).SoifyouthinkEnglishtearsstrandsoffyourhead,tryChinese,andyou'llgobaldinnotime! Derek1 Sep-17-2007 1vote  Permalink  ReportAbuse IliveinKentuckyandeveryoneIknow...withtheexceptionofoneaquaintencefromPhiladelphia...says"ant."Blackpeopleandwhitepeople."Ont"isthoughttobeanorthernthing. KY Oct-03-2007 2votes  Permalink  ReportAbuse InEngland'Aunt'isgenerallypronouncedas'Ant'.Theonlypeoplewhopronounceit'Ont'aremembersofthearistocracyandtheupperclasses.Theoverwhelmingmajorityofblackpeoplepronouncetheword'Ask'as'Axe',andasthisphenomenonseemstoexistonbothsoundsoftheatlantic,iwouldsurmisethatthisisindeeda'blackting',muchinthesamewayastheIrishcannotpronouncewordsthatincludetheletters'OW'or'OU'.Wordssuchas'Now'forexample,become'Noy'and'Downtown'becomes'Dointoin'.NoneofthiswouldnormallyregisterwiththeaverageBrit,whogenerallycaresverylittleaboutthebastardisationofhis/herlanguagebytheless-fortunateinforeigncountries.However,asaresultoftheunswervingprojectbythepolitically-correctlunaticbrigadetoapparentlymaintainamulti-culturalsocietyinouroncefinenation,itisthecasenowthateverynews-reader,tvpresenter,weatherperson,sportcommentatoretcetc.inBritainisnoweitherIrishorBlack,orboth,maybewiththeoddjockthrowninforgoodmeasure,andconsequentlywearebombardedwithsuchmis-pronunciationonadailybasis.IhaveneverbeentoIreland,anddoubtIeverwill,MymotherwasinjuredbyanIRAbombin'96,mycitywasblowntosmithereens,Irishtinkersmoveintomylocalparkonceayearandleavethreemonthslaterwithnoturf,toiletblocksorswingsstillinexistence,nottomentionthethreemonthlocalcrimespreewhichusuallyresultsinthetheftofeverylawnmowerandbicyclewithinatenmileradius.ThereforeIhavenoloveoftheIrishraceasawhole.However,ifIwastovisittheplaceandfoundmyselfswitchingonaTV,iplaceextremedoubtuponthelikelihoodofmebeingfacedwithanEnglishhuman,whichallseemsalittleunfair.Irishpeoplecanmis-pronouncewordsasmuchastheylikeintheirowncesspitofacountry,whydotheyhavetocomeanddoitinmine?,thatisthequestion.Sotheyranoutofspudsafewyearsago,butsurelytheycouldhavefoundsomethingelsetoeatratherthanstarvingtodeathorscroungingoffus,thefuckinpeasants,perhapsthisgivessomeinsightintotheweakcharacteraswellastheilliteracyoftheaverageIrishperson... picwick Oct-13-2007 0vote  Permalink  ReportAbuse Mr.Pickwick-YoupoorSOB,mustbemiserableinyourneckofthewoods.Regards,MichaelMorris anonymous4 Oct-27-2007 4votes  Permalink  ReportAbuse IamoriginallyfromSouthCarolinabutcurrentlyliveinMaryland.Growingup,Ialwaysheardauntpronounced'ant'andIwastaughttopronounceitthatway.WhenImovedtoMaryland,Inoticedthateveryonefromthisareapronouncedtheword'ont'.Iactuallygotintoaheateddiscussionwithoneofmydearfriendsfromherewhoinsistedthatonlyuneducatedpeoplepronouncedauntas'ant'.Iinsistedthatitwasn'tamatterofeducationbutamatterofgeography.Verystrangehowheatedthistopicmakespeople.Iguessnobodywantstoadmitthattheyhavebeenpronouncingthewordincorrectlytheirwholelives!Or,evenworse,noonewantstothinkthattheysounduneducated.Myguessisthatit'sokaytosayeither.Yousay'toe-may-toe',Isay'to-mah-toe'. South_Carolina Oct-29-2007 3votes  Permalink  ReportAbuse PREV1234NEXT Doyouhaveaquestion?Submityourquestionhere YesNo ©2022CYCLEInteractive,LLC.AllRightsReserved. About Terms Privacy RSSPosts RSSComments ContactUs  Facebook  Twitter