How do you pronounce the word

Question How do you pronounce the word "pecan"?

Answer Having a slight Tidewater accent, I may not be the best person to be giving enunciation lessons. Many surveys have been conducted and the results are all over the board. Northerners and dictionaries narrow it down to two choices.

There is pi-KAHN, where KAHN sounds like John. This pronunciation is usually listed first in a dictionary. It is probably the most widely accepted pronunciation in America today. I don't know if that is good or bad.

The second most used pronunciation is pi-KAN, where KAN sounds like can. This version was most preferred by the older authorities. I'm not sure what constitutes an "older authority".

There are a couple other pronunciations that need to be mentioned. PEE-kan is often heard in Eastern dialects. Being the Easterner that I am, I say PEE-kan. Although my secretary brought to my attention that I say butter pi-KAHN ice cream. And yes, I know that a pee can is something that is found under a hospital bed.

The truly Southern version is pronounced Pee-KAHN. Since pecans originated in the South, maybe they should have a Southern pronunciation. That may sound logical, but the Indians actually named this nut.

Fossil remains found in Texas and the northern part of Mexico indicate that the pecan was here and producing long before Indians came on the scene. Of course the Indians knew a good thing when they found it. Archaeologists have shown a major concentration of Indian campsites in the immediate areas of the heaviest native pecan stands. The earliest recorded writings about the pecan by Cabeza de Vaca, nearly 600 years ago, indicate that the Indians planned their movements and activities around the maturity of the pecan nut.

Pecan is actually an Algonquin Indian word which translates as either "all nuts requiring a stone to crack" or "a tough nut to crack". Algonquin can be written as Algonkian, Algonkin, or Algonquin. This may be where the pronunciation problem began. Even the Indians have different dialects. The Ojibwa tribe spells it "pagan", the Abnaki tribe spells it "pagann" and the Cree tribe spells it "pakan".

European settlers also took a liking to this nutritious nut. George Washington planted trees at Mount Vernon and Thomas Jefferson added pecans to Monticello's gardens. In 1779, a New Orleanian sent a box of nuts to Thomas Jefferson. The shipment was labeled "paccan nuts". Is this a hint at early American pronunciation or illiteracy?

We can agree on one thing. No matter which tribe you're from, it sounds stupid if you pronounce it PEEK-in.

If you want more info about pecans, then call me at 910-893-7533, write me at PO Box 1089, Lillington, NC 27546 or email me at gary_pierce@ncsu.edu Pecan management info can be found on the web at http://www.ces.ncsu.edu/depts/hort/hil/ag81.html

Etymology (history or origin of a word) can be tricky. I'll try to stick to entomology (the study of insects) where the argument is ladybug versus lady beetle.