Hi guys. Apologies if this seems like a slightly strange poll, but yesterday, my family and I were having afternoon tea for my older sister’s birthday, and as is typical with afternoon tea, we each had a scone. As we were eating our scones, a discussion ensued about the pronunciation of the word “scone”. Now while I appreciate that everyone pronounces words differently, most will pronounce this word in one of two ways; most either tend to pronounce the word as “Sc-on”, with the “on” sound added onto the end, or they tend to pronounce it as “Sc-own”, with the “own” sound added onto the end. So I’d be keen to know; what side do you sit on in this very British debate? How do you pronounce the word “scone”?
Personally, I’m a “Sc-on” person. When I was a young child and spoke more formally (I had a really posh British accent as a child… like the sort of stereotypical posh British accent you often see in foreign media), I was a “Sc-own” person all the way. I also pronounced “bath” as “bar-th” and “castle” as “car-stle” back then, for some idea…
But I seem to have drifted into “Sc-on” as I’ve grown older and lost some formality from my speech… don’t get me wrong, I’m still thoroughly accentless, and have quite a stereotypical British accent, but I’ve definitely gained a more informal twang as I’ve aged, and “Sc-on” is now the way I pronounce that particular word.
Also, the joke about scones being the fastest cakes only makes sense if you pronounce it “Sc-own”. For those who have no idea what I’m on about:
Joke: What is the fastest cake?
Punchline: S-gone… (scone)
That nice joke only works with the “Sc-on” pronunciation unless you pronounce “gone” very differently to how I do…
Interestingly, though, most of my family seemed to agree on it being “Sc-own”…
But I’d be keen to know; how do you pronounce the word “scone”? Is it “Sc-on” or “Sc-own” for you? Or is it an entirely different pronunciation altogether?
Those who rhyme it with gone predominate in Scotland, Northern Ireland and the north of England. Those who rhyme with cone dominate in southern Ireland and the Midlands. The rest of the country is a mixture of the two pronunciations.
A British biscuit is not remotely similar to the fluffy and filling American biscuits made famous in Southern American cuisine. The closest British equivalent to those buttery miracles is a scone, which ain't too bad either.
Biscuits and scones have the same British ancestor, but the early Southern colonists' version included butter, lard, buttermilk, and soft wheat, plentiful in the South. Over time, this fluffy and layered bread evolved into a regional commodity: the Southern biscuit.
noun. 1. ( skɒn , skəʊn ) a light plain doughy cake made from flour with very little fat, cooked in an oven or (esp originally) on a griddle, usually split open and buttered.
American scones use much more butter than British scones, and they usually have quite a bit more sugar. The extra butter is what makes them so much denser. This is not really a good or bad thing, as British scones pile on plenty of sugar (in the form of preserves/jam) and butter or clotted cream as toppings.
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