Pecan

A forum for discussing US dialects (accents).
Huny
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Pecan

Postby Huny » Wed Jun 07, 2006 11:14 pm

I was wondering, how do most of you pronounce the word "Pecan"? This has been a debate in my house since I've met my southern husband. I have noticed that the dictionaries say it can be pronounced either way. So, I have come to understand that it is all in the geographical region. My grandfather (whom is from GA) always told me to pronounce it " pah-kahn". I asked him why, if he was from the south, did he not say "pee-can" like many other southern folk I know. And my dear grandfather, may he rest in peace, replied, "Because, my dear, a "pee-can" is what you keep under your bed in the winter when you have no indoor plumbing!" :shock: ye-gods!

Sooo, what do "y'all" say? "pee-can", "pah-kahn", or "pee-kahn"
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Brazilian dude
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Postby Brazilian dude » Wed Jun 07, 2006 11:21 pm

I normally say PEE-can unless I want to be fancy, then I say pih-KAHN. Makes sense?

Totally irrelevant post. I'm ashamed of myself. :oops:

Brazilian dude
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Bailey
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Postby Bailey » Wed Jun 07, 2006 11:29 pm

the former goes under the bed, like the canopy, the nut is a pah Kahn'. At least here it is, lol you should be ashamed.

mark

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Huny
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Postby Huny » Wed Jun 07, 2006 11:39 pm

Aaww, BD, don't feel that way. You were just being honest..and sooo funny (and of course thinking out loud). :wink:

Bailey, I must have quarked off into the twilight zone or something- it took me a breif moment to get the "canopy" bit. :oops: I have'nt heard that one before. That's a good one.I'm sure my grandfather is laughing somewhere right now. Thanks!
"What lies behind us and what lies ahead of us are tiny matters compaired to what lies inside us." R.W.E.

Perry
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Postby Perry » Thu Jun 08, 2006 8:51 am

If I am speaking in English, I usually say pee-can [believe me boys, as you get older you're always glad when you can! :oops: ], but when conversing in Hebrew I switch over to pe-kahn.
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Huny
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Postby Huny » Thu Jun 08, 2006 12:25 pm

Perry(rhymes with Terri) ,

Hmmm..Hebrew, huh? :) Very interesting. Thanks!
"What lies behind us and what lies ahead of us are tiny matters compaired to what lies inside us." R.W.E.

Brazilian dude
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Postby Brazilian dude » Thu Jun 08, 2006 12:31 pm

From the big book of beastly mispronunciations, by Charles Harrington Elster:
pican.pi-KAHN (-KAHN) rhyming with John) or pi-KAN (KAN like can)
These are the pronunciations most often listed, and sometimes the only ones listed. Older authorities often preferred pi-KAN, but in American speech today there is no doubt that pi-KAHN is the dominant pronunciation, and the four leading American dictionaries all list it first. Other recognized variants, in descending order of frequency listed, include PEE-kan, which the evidence of my ears tells me is chiefly Eastern and which Lass & Lass (1976) prefer, and PEE-kahn, which my ears tell me is chiefly Southern. Don't say (ugh) PEEK-in.
Brazilian dude
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tcward
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Postby tcward » Thu Jun 08, 2006 12:56 pm

PEE-kahn "chiefly Southern"?? I have only heard that pronunciation when someone who normally says PEE-can is having a conversation about this nut with someone who pronounces it pih-KAHN... it's as if the brain cannot totally switch gears.

I pronounce it pih-KAHN. I bet my sisters pronounce it PEE-can... They both have stronger Southern accents than I do.

I've heard the line about the pee-can before. It's still funny.

-Tim

Huny
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Postby Huny » Thu Jun 08, 2006 1:31 pm

BD-

"Don't say (ugh) PEEK-in." Your right, BD, I wouldn't want anyone "PEEK-in" at me either. Especially at night! :oops:
"What lies behind us and what lies ahead of us are tiny matters compaired to what lies inside us." R.W.E.

Bailey
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Postby Bailey » Thu Jun 08, 2006 7:13 pm

a Pee kin is a variety of Duck, it becomes a Peking duck after it is cooked to be a Peking Duck, my 2 cents.

mark

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mandaloo
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Postby mandaloo » Thu Jun 08, 2006 11:49 pm

Pee-can is something you take on a boat when you go on a fishin trip. I say "pah-kahn" :wink:

Perry
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Postby Perry » Sun Jun 11, 2006 4:55 pm

Perry(rhymes with Terri) ,

Hmmm..Hebrew, huh? :) Very interesting. Thanks!
I'm a bit curious. Are you preparing a poem employing my name? Perry certainly does not rhyme with pecan. On the oother hand, it does rhyme with many other things:

Words that rhyme with Perry: (153 results)

2 syllables:
airey, airy, arie, ary, barey, barre, barrie, barry, berrey, berri, berrie, berry, buerry, bury, carey, carie, carrey, carrie, carry, cary, cheri, cherie, cherry, chery, clary, dairy, derry, dery, eyrie, fairey, fairy, ferri, ferrie, ferry, fery, frary, garry, gary, gehry, gerri, gerrie, gerry, gery, hairy, harry, jere, jeri, jerri, jerrie, jerry, kairey, kari, karry, kary, kerrey, kerri, kerry, larry, lary, marry, mary, merrie, merry, nary, neri, parry, prairie, querry, scary, sheri, sherri, sherrie, sherry, skerry, sperry, stary, sterry, tarry, teri, terri, terrie, terry, vary, verri, verry, very, wary, werry, wery, wherry, yeiri

3 syllables:
alarie, ameri, azeri, barberi, boveri, buccheri, canary, cecere, contrary, curreri, ferreri, glengarry, guarneri, laprairie, macquarrie, macsharry, maseri, mauceri, maugeri, mcclary, mccrary, mcgarry, mcgary, mcnairy, mcnary, mcquerry, mcsherry, metairie, moceri, omary, oteri, palmeri, pierie, plumeri, prosperi, raineri, raneri, recarey, remarry, ruggeri, scuderi, silveri, soleri, spiteri, sunseri, tiberi, unwary, valeri, viguerie

4 syllables:
balistreri, barillari, camilleri, canzoneri, francesmary, montazeri, oliveri, palmieri, palminteri, pusateri, ranieri, tagliaferri

5 syllables:
bollettieri
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sluggo
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Postby sluggo » Sun Jun 11, 2006 5:08 pm

Words that rhyme with Perry: (153 results)

2 syllables:
airey, airy, arie, ary, barey, barre, barrie, barry, berrey, <snip>
Perry, you may be in my town but I have to remember never to play Scrabble witchyew...!

I learnt it as puh-KAHN, with a vague notion that it may have been a variant from the natives where I grew up in PA; but I heard the word in Mississippi, where pecans actually grow and thrive.

I think it's thought of as 'lofty' due to the 'back' A, which we USians associate with British, and by extension haughty uppercrust USians. But southerners, being the people growing and eating pecans, would have much more occasion to use the word, thus the preference for puh-KAHN.
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Huny
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Postby Huny » Sun Jun 11, 2006 5:17 pm

Perry(rhymes with Terri) ,

Hmmm..Hebrew, huh? :) Very interesting. Thanks!
I'm a bit curious. Are you preparing a poem employing my name? Perry certainly does not rhyme with pecan. On the oother hand, it does rhyme with many other things:
Umm, no. "Terri" is my name. I was trying to be funny(sigh).But thanks for the info :D
"What lies behind us and what lies ahead of us are tiny matters compaired to what lies inside us." R.W.E.

Perry
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Postby Perry » Mon Jun 12, 2006 4:39 pm

Of course, until your last post, we could only know you as Huny.

Terri walks in the door and remarks to self, "Huny I'm home". :roll:
"Time is nature's way of keeping everything from happening all at once. Lately it hasn't been working."
Anonymous


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