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Pecan vs. Pecan (and a Pecan Pie recipe)

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Pecan vs. Pecan

 To the untrained eye, this may look like a mistake. How can the two words listed above have different pronunciations? Welcome to the English language, and even more confusing- Southern dialect.

One thing I love about speech pathology is phonetics. Phonetics teaches you to depend on your ear and transcribe words based on how they sound when produced by the average Joe.

For example, without using my International Phonetic Alphabet (which all linguists can appreciate) the words pecan and pecan are phonetically spelled like this:

1. Pecan (n. Nut from pecan tree; pronounced "pea" "can")

Let's break this down to the root words.
Pea: n. Small green starch not suitable for low carb diets
Can: n. Container typically filled with trash or stewed vegetables

If we combine these two roots into the word often heard south of I-85 we end up with this true meaning:
Pecan: n.  Small green starch typically filled with trash or stewed vegetables.

2. Pecan (n. Nut from pecan tree; pronounced "Peh" "Con")

Time for the root word breakdown:
Peh: adj. Used to describe an annoying situation (similar to Grrr & arghh)
Con: n. British constable

If we combine these two roots into the word often heard north of I-85 we end up with this true meaning:
Pecan: n. Term used to describe an annoying British constable (a statistical anomaly  I am sure).

This holiday season, what type of pie will you eat? Will it be pecan or pecan. Will your family enjoy pecans or pecans toasted or roasted? What will you use to adorn your cheese ball? Chopped, diced, or sliced? It's your time to decide... Pecan or Pecan?

 And one more thing, Pecan Pie is one of our favorite desserts for Thanksgiving!

 Aunt Lisa's Pecan Pie

 Ingredients:
  • 3 eggs, slightly beaten
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 1/4 tsp. salt
  • 1 cup light corn syrup
  • 1/2 tsp. vanilla
  • Pecans (4 or 5 handfuls, whole or slightly chopped- whichever you prefer)
  • Pie Crust (deep dish, Aunt Lisa likes Pet-Ritz best)
Directions:
  1. Combine ingredients in the order given, mixing well after each one.
  2. Pour into pie crust and add pecans.
  3. Bake 10 minutes at 450 degrees; reduce heat to 350 degrees and bake 35 minutes longer, or until set.
Makes 1, 9-inch pie

Sarah Lou


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Comments

  1. JPMNovember 14, 2013 at 8:13 AM

    NPR just did a story ("The Enigmatic Pecan") on the pronunciations of the word pecan. At the bottom of the story, one commenter wrote this great anecdote about South Carolinians' pronunciations:

    My father was a pecan orchardist and nurseryman; for many decades he was known as THE leading pecan expert in South Carolina. When asked how to pronounce the word he would always say, “It depends on where the tree is. If it’s in the front yard, it is ‘pe-CHAN’; in the side yard, it’s ‘PE-CAN’; in the back yard it is ‘PEE-can.’” I am now a retired professor of English; I’ve never found any reason to question the wisdom of his pronunciation advice.

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  2. RobinNovember 14, 2013 at 8:35 AM

    When I moved to Pennsylvania Dutch country after graduating from college, I learned (as a waitress in a well-known smorgasboard restaurant in the area) a THIRD pronunciation for this word.
    Pecan: PEEKIN' -- as v. taking a quick look at the yummy pie bakin' in the oven
    When my first customer asked me for a piece of "peekin' pie", I went into the kitchen and was digging through all the pies trying to figure out what it was. When one of the other waitresses finally had pity on me and told me, it seemed so obvious!! We had a good laugh about it, and for the 8 years we lived there, it was Peekin' Pie!

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