Let’s take a survey. Comment on this posting about how you pronounce the word and let’s see what we get.
Uncle is easy. There just isn’t a lot of wiggle room in pronouncing the word “uncle.” Even in French, “oncle” sounds pretty close to “uncle.”
“Aunt” is another matter.
Most all words that have an A-U combination would want to make you say it as “ont.”
August = awhgust, not aaagust.
Autumn. Nobody says “atom” unless they are talking about physics.
Audit. Nobody says “adit” unless they are talking about a vertical mine tunnel.
Auberage = obberage. Nobody says “aaaberage”. Okay, nobody says auberage either anymore. It means something like a hostel.
Blaug. Oh, sorry, that was already blog.
Cause does not equal caz.
Plausible does not sound out to be plazzible.
Taught isn’t tat.
Exhausted is exosted.
And anything with auto- in it has that crazy soft O dipthong.
Ottomobile.
Awtomatic Teller Machine (in some parts of the U.S. ).
Ottoresponder.
Nobody says “attamatick transmission.” Not even on Car Talk.
I can’t think of any au sound that people pronounce as a short A.
So why do a lot of people pronounce A…U…N…T as “ant?” I do. Am I wrong?
Does it depend on the name of the aunt? Ant Betty v. Aunt Betty? Antie Em v. Auntie Em? Ant Alice ? Ant Xylophone? Ant Eater? No difference.
One thing we know for sure. The chemical symbol for gold is AU. And the origin of aunt comes from the French (once again) amare meaning beloved.
So, to insert some math:
Beloved + Golden = Aunt.
However you say it, that sounds right to me.
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