I come from the northern midwest, lived 4 yrs. in central Missouri. Also lived in TN and GA for over 60 years. The only ones I ever heard pronounce Aunt with the ah sound of ont or ontie were the older, genteel generation of blacks, many of whom I waited on when working at the VA in Tennessee. Tim Champlin > On October 10, 2019 at 9:38 AM "Bird, John C." <[log in to unmask]> wrote: > > > In the South, there is also sounds like “ain’t.” > > > > Sent from Mail<https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=550986> for Windows 10 > > > > From: Clay Shannon<mailto:[log in to unmask]> > Sent: Thursday, October 10, 2019 9:21 AM > To: [log in to unmask]<mailto:[log in to unmask]> > Subject: How would Twain have pronounced "Aunt"? > > > > Does anybody know, or have an educated guess, as to how Twain would have pronounced "Aunt"? > As one pronounces the name of the picnic-addicted insect, or as the first three letters of "Ontario"? > - B. Clay Shannon