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@mrs.kiwi: How funny! I am in Northern California, too, I have VERY RARELY heard "awnt!"
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Ant!! Hardly anyone says awnt around here. When I very rarely hear it it just sounds wrong to me!
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I grew up in Missouri and don't feel like I ever heard "awnt". My parents aren't from the US, we always said ant or antie for our aunts. My favorite aunt went by auntie so that's what my sister refers to me as. SIL's kids usually use my first name only, but DH's family says awnt. And we live in the South. So basically I think this totally depends on the family. My son says ant for one aunt and awnt for the other.
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I grew up in Massachusetts and say Awnt. The book "chicka chicka boom boom" always trips me up because it rhymes "Aunts" with "pants" which doesn't work if you pronounce it awnt.
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I was raised on the west coast but now live in new England. I'm team "ant", surrounded by "awnt". Awnt just sounds weird/wrong to me, but not as wrong as Americans who say "mum" for mom. Just stahhhhhhp!
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Huh. Surprised by the New Yorkers' posts and the poll! Born and raised in NY, definitely say awnt.
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Awnt. I'm from Massachusetts, but my southern extended family has always tried to 'correct' me buutttt the U isn't silent people. Refer to your relatives as an insect all you want, it's still wrong
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@Coral: Another Californian here, born in SoCal and living in NorCal. Ant all the way. I would totally give side eye to awnt.
I do say antie. Growing up the relatives my mo liked were aunties and the ones she didn't were aunts. I'm pretty sure SIL hates when I call her auntie though.
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You will never hear me calling a family member an ant. It's just wrong, sorry (not sorry).
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neither! I'm Australian so I say
ahhhhhhhhnt!!
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I'm not sure what pronunciation you mean by awnt. I say ahhhhnt. Ant's just weird!
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Ant! Or more often it's Anne-ty.
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@yoursilverlining: OMG is "mum" a New England thing?? DH is from Boston and calls his mom Mum and refers to me as Mummy. He alsopronounces room like rum. I just thought he was a weirdo, lol.
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@ShootingStar: I don't think it's a New England thing! I'm from New England and have never heard someone say "mum"!
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@ShootingStar: @Adira: I think it's more a weird pretentious thing? lol
j/k I have Maine friends and one out near Seattle who use mum (not just the way they pronounce, but like on FB when talking about their moms, or themselves as moms.) All are born and bread 'mericans. It is so weird to me. Like Americans who use "whilst" when they don't live abroad/have never lived abroad/etc.
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In my family, we used "ant", "awnt", AND "awntie" depending on the person we were talking about! I.e. I had an "ant" Debbie, an "awntie" Karen, an "awnt" Julie. It hasn't come up with DD yet because she doesn't have any aunts; I guess she'll just call my aunts the same as what I do.
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@justjules: LOL about the aunts/pants rhyme! That always trips me up too!
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@ShootingStar: I am from MA and my mom has always been Mummy too. Maybe a holdover from our British roots?
Also I do feel quite certain that awnt/ahhnt is the correct way. It should rhyme with taunt, right? And I believe it comes from the French word that has the same vowel sound.
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We say Awnt over here!
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I'm surprised by the poll. I'm in MA, grew up in NH, and my whole family says Awnt or Awntie. It sticks out to me when I hear Ant, that's how much I don't hear it. Most people I know in NE say Awnt unless someone in the family did not grow up in NE, so the family will say Ant.
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@skipra: yes I'm certain too. I'm honestly slightly appalled by this thread and surprised I am so bothered by it hahaha
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I admit it, I say "ant." Technically, I don't even say that as I use an ethnic honorific, but I feel like I get a pass because I am from an immigrant family and I say all kinds of ridiculous things because my parents said them as literal translations.
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We don't use either, but if we did it would be Ant.
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@justjules: hahaha YES I just pronounce "pants" as "pawnts"
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So I actually say "ant-y" or "awnt," but not usually "ant."
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@Lahela017: @PurplePeony: Growing up, I also used both
I had an "Awntie" Joanne and an "Anty" Ruby.
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