Another "How Do You Pronounce?" Poll

[sonnyjane]

Many of you commented on my "scallop" thread, but today a new one was brought to my attention! A co-worker and I were talking about the lottery and something about "the people that won". My co-worker told me that he had never heard anyone pronounce "won" the way that I had. I pronounce "won" as it's spelled, rhyming with "swan". He pronounces it "wun", rhyming with "done".

I've never put any thought into it but he said it's a peeve of his lol! I've honestly never thought that I said it oddly!

Anyone care to chime in?

 

[vc10um]

I pronounce it as rhyming with "done"...not sure I've ever heard it any other way.

To mean, the way you pronounce it sounds instead like the word "wan" (as in pale).

 

[sonnyjane]

I pronounce it as rhyming with "done"...not sure I've ever heard it any other way.

To mean, the way you pronounce it sounds instead like the word "wan" (as in pale).

We did some Googling earlier to get to the bottom of it and it looks like my pronunciation can be found in some non-native English speakers (of course I AM a native English speaker so that's no excuse lol). While Googling we also found a sample sentence:

"He won one and he lost one".

Do you pronounce "won" and "one" the same??? If so, that sounds weird to me!

 

[Skippy123]

I say won similar to one. but like wun.

 

[anitabee]

interesting. the way you way "won" is "one" that i've never encountered! i live in canada but have lived in the states and have never heard your pronunciation.

what region do you live in?

 

[sonnyjane]

interesting. the way you way "won" is "one" that i've never encountered! i live in canada but have lived in the states and have never heard your pronunciation.

what region do you live in?

Ha well, now it's becoming quite clear that I'm just a weirdo. I'm from all over the place - born in Denver, then Pittsburgh, then Miami, then the FL panhandle, then WA (state), then San Diego. Now that I know I say it in an "odd" way I'm going to start paying special attention when I hear others say it.

 

[mary poppins]

I say won like one. I've never heard it pronounced any other way.

 

[Enerchi]

Another for the "one" version of "won". Also a Canadian - if that makes a difference...??

 

[HopeDream]

When I pronounce won it sounds like one (wun), but with slightly greater emphasis on the "w" sound at the beginning (my lips make a bigger 'w' shape). They do sound slightly different.

 

[Haven]

It sounds like you pronounce the word "won" as if it is the word "wan".

I pronounce it so it rhymes with one, but as HopeDream pointed out, there is an emphasis on the /w/ sound.

I can't say I'm sure that your pronunciation is one that many others share.

 

[sonnyjane]

I can't say I'm sure that your pronunciation is one that many others share.

It would appear you've all "won" this round! Fortunately none of my other friends and family have ever said anything to me lol. It took my snotty co-worker to point it out

 

[sonnyjane]

UPDATE: I just called my mom and said "If you didn't LOSE a game, what did you do?" and she said

"WON" like "SWAN"! SOOOO I don't know where SHE got it, but clearly I got it from her!

 

[MichelleCarmen]

It is pronounced like "one."

 

[Dancing Fire]

It sounds like you pronounce the word "won" as if it is the word "wan".

I pronounce it so it rhymes with one, but as HopeDream pointed out, there is an emphasis on the /w/ sound.

I can't say I'm sure that your pronunciation is one that many others share.

teachers always correct?..

 

[VRBeauty]

"He won one and he lost one".

Do you pronounce "won" and "one" the same??? If so, that sounds weird to me!

I guess it's situational for me. Normally I'd pronounce it "wun", but in the example above I'd pronounce it "wahn."

 

[JuneRose]

I pronounce it the same as "one"

 

[AprilBaby]

One/won. Of course one sounds like wun. So how does everyone else pronounce one???

 

[amc80]

I'm a swan rhymer! Apparently I'm weird as well...

 

[stargurl78]

I've never heard it pronounced "wan". I pronounce it like one.

 

[amc80]

I'm a swan rhymer! Apparently I'm weird as well...

Hmm, now that I think about it, my husband has commented when I've said it.

 

[OneFifty]

Another won/one/done pronouncer here.

 

[Dee*Jay]

interesting. the way you way "won" is "one" that i've never encountered! i live in canada but have lived in the states and have never heard your pronunciation.

what region do you live in?

Ha well, now it's becoming quite clear that I'm just a weirdo. I'm from all over the place - born in Denver, then Pittsburgh, then Miami, then the FL panhandle, then WA (state), then San Diego. Now that I know I say it in an "odd" way I'm going to start paying special attention when I hear others say it.

Any chance you lived in Pittsburgh during your formative speech years? I ask because I grew up there and have gotten comments in all the other places I've lived (Idaho, Chicago, Kansas City) about the way I pronouce certain words, mostly around the way vowels are vocalized and kind of drawn out.

 

[sonnyjane]

interesting. the way you way "won" is "one" that i've never encountered! i live in canada but have lived in the states and have never heard your pronunciation.

what region do you live in?

Ha well, now it's becoming quite clear that I'm just a weirdo. I'm from all over the place - born in Denver, then Pittsburgh, then Miami, then the FL panhandle, then WA (state), then San Diego. Now that I know I say it in an "odd" way I'm going to start paying special attention when I hear others say it.

Any chance you lived in Pittsburgh during your formative speech years? I ask because I grew up there and have gotten comments in all the other places I've lived (Idaho, Chicago, Kansas City) about the way I pronouce certain words, mostly around the way vowels are vocalized and kind of drawn out.

I was there from 7 to 17, that's the longest I've been in one place. My mom was born and raised in Pittsburgh so the fact that she and I say it the same makes me think it might be from there.

 

[Dee*Jay]

interesting. the way you way "won" is "one" that i've never encountered! i live in canada but have lived in the states and have never heard your pronunciation.

what region do you live in?

Ha well, now it's becoming quite clear that I'm just a weirdo. I'm from all over the place - born in Denver, then Pittsburgh, then Miami, then the FL panhandle, then WA (state), then San Diego. Now that I know I say it in an "odd" way I'm going to start paying special attention when I hear others say it.

Any chance you lived in Pittsburgh during your formative speech years? I ask because I grew up there and have gotten comments in all the other places I've lived (Idaho, Chicago, Kansas City) about the way I pronouce certain words, mostly around the way vowels are vocalized and kind of drawn out.

I was there from 7 to 17, that's the longest I've been in one place. My mom was born and raised in Pittsburgh so the fact that she and I say it the same makes me think it might be from there.

Do you say "Don" and "Dawn" the same way? What about "cold"--does it almost have an "au" in it?

 

[ksinger]

wun and one the same for me.

And anyWUN who likes these linguistics-type threads NEEDS to read this piece. Truly fascinating.


Vowel Movement
How Americans near the Great Lakes are radically changing the sound of English.

http://www.slate.com/articles/life/the_good_word/2012/08/northern_cities_vowel_shift_how_americans_in_the_great_lakes_region_are_revolutionizing_english_.html

 

[packrat]

One/won/done. If someone said "they won one and they lost one" that totally makes sense to me if won/one sound the same. It's just part of the language. Like read/read, to/too/two. English is a funny language. If someone said "they won one and they lost one" as wan/one, I'd think their tongue/lips just got messed up, you know how that happens, or the person was saying "ran" w/a speech impediment.

 

[JewelFreak]

Wun, definitely. Where your mother got the pronunciation is most important because you got it from her -- so maybe it's a Pittsburgh regionalism? Or if not, did she learn it from her mother, who grew up where? I've never heard it before.

Ha! -- ksinger -- had a good laugh at the article you linked!! None of that is new to me, having grown up near Rochester NY. I didn't realize I talked "funny" until I went to college near NYC. My friends always laughed about how I spoke. Their favorite thing was, "Laurie, say 'eeeaaapple.'" Apple -- it has 3 syllables, doesn't it? Since then I've worked very hard to ace the Rochester vowels -- but they come right back whenever I visit that area.

--- Laurie

 

[amc80]

Wun, definitely. Where your mother got the pronunciation is most important because you got it from her -- so maybe it's a Pittsburgh regionalism? Or if not, did she learn it from her mother, who grew up where? I've never heard it before.

I must just be weird. I grew up on he west coast with no ties to the east coast.

 

[Maisie]

When I say swan it rhymes with one.

When I say won it sounds like wun. But i'm a geordie (from north east coast of England) and our accent is different it seems

 

[Haven]

UPDATE: I just called my mom and said "If you didn't LOSE a game, what did you do?" and she said

"WON" like "SWAN"! SOOOO I don't know where SHE got it, but clearly I got it from her!

There you have it! Blame it on your mama!

I blame my parents for several of my own unique speech patterns. It is all their fault, after all.