OOPS! Didn't read the complete thread before posting this. So southerners aren't as anomalous as I thought... [Can anybody edit a post or can we only edit our own?]

from wwh: 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.

So you haven't spent much time in central Oklahoma, eh? I grew up pronouncing aunt as ant. Upon arriving in the blessed north, a new friend politely pointed out the correct pronunciation (then there was root, which I was rhyming with put - egads), but now it grates a bit to hear the southern version.

Anybody else have southern exposure? I'm curious about whether this is truly a case of southern weirdness [no offense to anybody who loves it] or just a regional anomaly.

Happy Holidays!
diborg