How Do You Say Pecan? Mapping Food Dialect Trends Across the U.S.

www.farmflavor.com ^ | June 6, 2013 | By Jessy Yancey

[Red Badger]

See this nut? We’ve posted about how pecans are grown, their nutritional benefits and our favorite pecan recipes, but we’ve never really discussed a popular topic of debate: Are they pee-KAHNs, pee-CANs, PEE-cans, pick-AHNs or some other pronunciation? How do YOU say pecan?

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Turns out, it depends on where you’re from. Joshua Katz, a doctoral student studying statistics at NC State University, recently created interactive dialect maps using data from Bert Vaux at the University of Cambridge. For example, check out the map showing how people pronounce “pecan”:

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It shows that pee-KAHN is dominant nationwide, but in areas of Texas, Oklahoma, Louisiana and Mississippi, pick-AHN reigns supreme. PEE-can is popular on the East Coast and in New England, while folks from Wisconsin, northern Minnesota and Michigan’s Upper Peninsula go with PEE-kahn.

The linguistics department at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee just also shared a pecan pronunciation map that gives another option – where people may say pee-KAHN by itself, but then say PEE-can when using a compound word, like pecan pie.

We found this research fascinating, so we’ve compiled a few of these dialect maps related to food. We had no idea that some people never refer to coleslaw as simply “slaw,” if other people also use “caramel” and “carmel” interchangeably, or if there really is a difference between frosting and icing. We did, however, know that The Great Soda/Pop/Coke/Soft Drink Debate will never be resolved.

Take a look at these maps, and learn if you pronounce mayonnaise like the masses, which syllable gets the emphasis in Thanksgiving, or if you’re the odd one out who says something not even provided as an option. Then, leave us a comment to let us know how you say pecan. (For the record, my parents are from Texas and Oklahoma, so I stand firmly with pick-AHN.)

[forgotten man]

One of the bad things about the English language is that
each vowel has multiple sounds. In Japanese and in Spanish the vowel “a” is always pronounced like the “a” in “taco” and the “o” is always pronounced like the “o” in “go.”

Here in California it is funny to watch the local newscasters, who are not from around here, mispronounce the names of local places. Many of them cannot pronounce any Spanish words correctly. La Jolla, Otay Mesa, Cahuenga Blvd, Santa Ynez, San Ysidro, Jamacha Road, etc. they cannot get right.

[Slyfox]

Who cares? Let's eat!

[floozy22]

How about ‘PEE-kins.’

[forgotten man]

ne of the bad things about the English language is that
each vowel has multiple sounds. In Japanese and in Spanish the vowel “a” is always pronounced like the “a” in “taco” and the “o” is always pronounced like the “o” in “go.”

Here in California it is funny to watch the local newscasters, who are not from around here, mispronounce the names of local places. Many of them cannot pronounce any Spanish words correctly. La Jolla, Otay Mesa, Cahuenga Blvd, Santa Ynez, San Ysidro, Jamacha Road, etc. they cannot get right.

[Constitution Day]

Eastern NC and it’s PEE-can.

[Inyo-Mono]

We had no idea that some people never refer to coleslaw as simply “slaw,”

I'm in Nor Calif and have never heard it referred to as "slaw." Have never seen that word on a menu either, always "coleslaw." BTW, I pronounce pecan as "pah-kahn."

[MayflowerMadam]

My ex MIL, from south Jersey, said “PEEKin” .

[blam]

Pecan

""Pecan" is from an Algonquian word variously referring to pecans, walnuts and hickory nuts,[3] or more broadly to any nut requiring a stone to crack.[4] There are many variant pronunciations, some regional and others not.[5] The most common American pronunciation is /piˈkɑːn/; the most common British one is /pɪˈkæn/.[5] Unusually, there is little agreement in the United States, even regionally, as to the "correct" pronunciation.[6]"

Natural Range

[Red Badger]

They do the same thing in Florida, mispronounce Spanish place names.........

[Red Badger]

Never heard that one!...............

[Orbiter]

Once asked a News Orleans taxi driver how the name of the city was pronounced. He said tourists from outside the deep south give themselves away by saying it as NEW-OR-lee-anz. Folks from the south say new-OR-lens. Most of Louisiana says NAWL-enz. And Cajuns (with their French heritage) say it as new-or-lee-AWN.

[txhurl]

That’s right. There are NO pecan trees along the TX Gulf coast, they’re weeds in Austin. Must be the salt in the sea breeze that thwarts them?

[BlueLancer]

Now, I say "Pah-KAHN".

When I was a kid, I used to say "PEE-can", just because I thought it was funny to say "PEE-can"...

Just like, now, I say "YOUR-ruh-nus", when as a kid I'd say "Your-A-nus".

[Red Badger]

I’m the opposite!.................

[sockmonkey]

I am in TX, too, and it’s your pronunciation puh-KAHN.

[taxcontrol]

Backwoods and swamps of Florida.

[blam]

I picked up pecans here in Mobile, 60+ years ago, for 3 cents per pound.

[jurroppi1]

The Ron White pronunciation (like queuepins for coupons).

[MD Expat in PA]

I say pee-KAHN’s but I don’t really care how you say it if you can make a really good pie out of them. Pecan pie is my favorite followed by a really good blueberry or tart cherry pie. I also like roasted candied pecans too. : )

[yarddog]

One of my favorite candies, actually it is my favorite, was the Stucky’s pecan logs. I have no idea if they are still in business but haven’t seen one in many years.