Dear wwh:

You wrote, And while we're at it, I have never except in jest heard "aunt" pronounced like the appellation of a member of the family Formicidae.

You've been from east coast to west and you've never heard people say, "My Ant Jean," "My Ant Connie"? Every aunt I ever had on my Daddy's side was an ant; and on Mama's, they were aunts. It's all tied up in your bloodlines.

Best regards,
An aunt, who's just called Theresa