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Pronunciation of aunt or auntie
Guest
1
2016/11/09 - 7:00am

I am a white Southerner -- both my parents were from small communities east of Atlanta. My family always said "ant" (for sisters of a parent) but the African Americans with whom I have worked both in Alabama and in DC predominantly say "awnt" or "ahnt."

When I heard the discussion this morning, I immediately did an internet search and found maps at http://www4.uwm.edu/FLL/linguistics/dialect/staticmaps/q_1.html showing the distribution of "ant," "ahnt," and "awnt." Unfortunately, there is no differentiation as to race.

torpeau
Left coast of FL
97 Posts
(Offline)
2
2016/11/29 - 10:38am

I have also noticed that Blacks commonly pronounce that word as "awnt."  And, while Hispanics/Latinos are not a race, I have been surprised that I sometimes hear "awnt" from them.

Robert
553 Posts
(Offline)
3
2016/11/30 - 2:14am

Your   "while"  suggests to me a usage that I always find interesting: 

While a mild-mannered person, she always stands firm where it matters.

While it needs some repairing, that house is mostly a solid property.

So   While x, y    implies that x and y are contradictory, with x being the context aimed to heighten y.   What an efficient way to say so much.

But in your usage I am not at all sure you are doing the same thing,   Either way, I am not clear of your meanings.

Guest
4
2017/04/06 - 1:27am

I also notesed that Blacks commonly pronounce that word as awnt.

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