The only time I pronounce won to rhyme with lawn is when I am ordering in a Chinese restaurant (won ton soup).
Over here, won = one (both pronounced ‘wun’).
Juan is a Spanish name, so we say something like ‘hwan’.
Lawn is pronounced ‘lorn’ (as in torn or horn).
Wan sounds like ‘gone’.
But what can you say about English?! COnsider ‘bow’ + arrow versus ‘bow’ down! :eek:
Perhaps New Englanders, being primarily Red Sox fans, don’t have enough practice using the word?
One prounced wan
Won pronounced wun
Is correct
Raised in NY State by Pennsylvania people:
won = wahn =wan or Juan
one = wuhn
lawn = the vowel sound in Long pronounced by someone from Long Island.
If you just meant to say that that is how the words are pronounced in your neck of the woods, then ignore the rest of my response. If you meant what you said, that those are the correct pronunciations, then no, those are neither correct nor incorrect pronunciations. They are simply how you (presumably) pronounce the words. Given that this board has members world-wide, there certainly is no “correct” pronunciation of those words (“Queen’s English” notwithstanding).
I’ve never found it to weigh that much.
I’ve been in New England for 27 years and have never heard it pronounced Juan.
Raised in West Texas, and “won” always rhymed with “ton” or done," pronounced the same as “one.” In fact, this is my first indication it’s pronounced any other way.
Born and raised in MA…‘won’ is ‘one’ to me.
‘Won’ pronounced like ‘-awn’ sounds southern to my ears.
My cousin’s family (uh, second cousin or cousin once removed kind of thing) has a Hispanic branch. At a funeral I noticed my… uncle twice removed (?) pronounced “Why” a little bit with the “hwa” sound of “Juan”, but it was just a hint of a Spanish accent.
New Englander here.
won = one
Would never think of pronouncing it like “lawn”, how’s that done… “ahwn”?
OK, here’s an analogous couple for me:
fun [one]
fon in fondle [won]
fawn [lawn] aw like in horse/hoarse
young or “yun” in fun-yun [one]
yon as in yonder [won]
yawn [lawn] aw like in horse/hoarse
Just to clarify, I have (as many other Americans do) a merger of the vowels in lawn and “lon” (a made-up word but you catch my drift). So the vowels in the last two entries of each of gigi’s sets are the same for me. Though thanks, gigi.
Lawn, pawn, gone, John, con, prawn, fawn, Sean, on-- all of these words are perfect rhymes with “won” for me.
Frylock– it’s good to have a compatriot, if only one.