'Ant' or 'Ahnt'? Capitalizing Cocktail Names. Archie Bunker.

Grammar Girl Quick and Dirty Tips for Better Writing

Jun 24 2022 • 15 mins

881. What's up with the fancy-schmancy "ahnt" pronunciation of the word "aunt"? And why are the rules about capitalizing cocktail names so wonky? We have all the answers today!

Transcript: https://grammar-girl.simplecast.com/episodes/ant-or-ahnt-capitalizing-cocktail-names-archie-bunker

References for the "ahnt" segment by Valerie Fridland:

Phillips, Betty. (1989). The Diffusion of a Borrowed Sound Change. Journal of English Linguistics, 22(2), 197–204.

Freeborn, Dennis. (1992). From old English to standard English : a course book in language variation across time. University of Ottawa Press: Ottawa.

Grandgent, C.H. (1899). Franklin to Lowell. A Century of New England Pronunciation. Publication of the Modern Language Association, vol. 14 (2), 207-239.

Trudgill, Peter (2008). The Historical Sociolinguistics of Elite Accent Change: On Why RP is not Disappearing. Studia Anglica Posnaniensia 44: 3–12.

Walker, John. (1791). A critical pronouncing dictionary. London: Robinson.

Wells, John. (1982). Accents of English. Cambridge University Press.

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