Editing Scone (section)

== Lexicology ==
[[File:Buttermilk-Scones-batch.jpg|thumb|A fresh batch of homemade [[buttermilk]] scones]]
The pronunciation of the word within the English-speaking world varies, with some pronouncing it {{IPAc-en|s|k|ɒ|n}} (rhymes with "gone"),<ref name="Wells" /><!--source is right there at end of paragraph, see 3.1.1 on p.2--> and others {{IPAc-en|s|k|oʊ|n}} (rhymes with "tone").<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/food-and-drink/news/survey-reveals-correct-way-to-pronounce-scone/ |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220112/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/food-and-drink/news/survey-reveals-correct-way-to-pronounce-scone/ |archive-date=12 January 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live|title=Survey reveals 'correct' way to pronounce scone|first=Adam|last=Boult|newspaper=The Telegraph|date=2 November 2016|via=www.telegraph.co.uk}}{{cbignore}}</ref> The dominant pronunciation differs by area. Pronunciation rhyming with "tone" is strongest in the [[English Midlands]] and [[Republic of Ireland|Ireland]], though it seems to have less prominent patches in [[Cornwall]] and [[Essex]]. The pronunciation rhyming with "gone" is strongest in [[Northern England]] and [[Scotland]], although this also seems to be the favoured pronunciation in [[Southern England]], the [[Home Counties]], and [[East Anglia]].<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/science/2017/apr/23/how-do-you-pronounce-scone-answer-says-a-lot-english-language-day-shakespeare-birthday|title=Do you pronounce 'scone' to rhyme with 'cone' or 'gone'? It depends where you're from|first=Robin|last=McKie|newspaper=The Observer|date=22 April 2017|via=www.theguardian.com|access-date=18 January 2018|archive-date=7 August 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200807081246/https://www.theguardian.com/science/2017/apr/23/how-do-you-pronounce-scone-answer-says-a-lot-english-language-day-shakespeare-birthday|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.cam.ac.uk/research/news/cambridge-app-maps-decline-in-regional-diversity-of-english-dialects|title=Cambridge app maps decline in regional diversity of English dialects|date=26 May 2016|website=University of Cambridge|access-date=13 April 2019|archive-date=5 August 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200805081431/https://www.cam.ac.uk/research/news/cambridge-app-maps-decline-in-regional-diversity-of-english-dialects|url-status=live}}</ref> Natives of [[Republic of Ireland|Ireland]] and the United States mainly use the {{IPAc-en|s|k|oʊ|n}} pronunciation.<ref name="Jacobs">Jacobs, F. "[http://bigthink.com/strange-maps/the-great-scone-map-of-the-uk-and-ireland] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201109032615/http://bigthink.com/strange-maps/the-great-scone-map-of-the-uk-and-ireland|date=9 November 2020}}" 2016</ref> British dictionaries usually show the {{IPAc-en|s|k|ɒ|n}} form as the preferred pronunciation, while recognising the {{IPA|/skoʊn/}} form.<ref name="Wells">Wells, J. C. "[http://www.phon.ucl.ac.uk/home/wells/survey-report-icphs.pdf Pronunciation Preferences in British English: a new survey] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201021015354/https://www.phon.ucl.ac.uk/home/wells/survey-report-icphs.pdf |date=21 October 2020 }}". University College London, 1998</ref>

The difference in pronunciation is alluded to in a poem:
{{poemquote|
I asked the maid in dulcet tone
To order me a buttered scone;
The silly girl has been and gone
And ordered me a buttered scone.<ref>{{cite journal |date=1913 |title=Cracked Quatrains |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=3DJXAAAAMAAJ&q=%22I+asked+the+maid+in+dulcet+tone%22 |journal=Punch |publisher=Punch Publications Ltd |volume=144 |page=253 |access-date=January 2, 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last1=Drifte |first1=Collette |last2=Jubb |first2=Mike |date=2002 |title=A Poetry Teacher's Toolkit: Rhymes, Rhythms, and Rattles |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=fE1cAgAAQBAJ&q=%22I+asked+the+maid+in+dulcet+tone%22&pg=PA106 |location=London |publisher=David Fulton Publishers |page=106 |isbn=1-85346-819-3}}</ref>}}

The ''[[Oxford English Dictionary]]'' reports that the first mention of the word was in 1513.<ref>{{Cite OED|scone|1049560886}}</ref>

===Etymology===
The origin of the word ''scone'' is obscure and may derive from several sources. That is, the classic Scottish ''scone'', the Dutch ''schoonbrood'' (very similar to the drop scone), and possibly other similarly named quick breads may have made their way onto the [[Tea in the United Kingdom|British tea]] table, where their similar names merged into one.{{citation needed|date=October 2024}}

Thus, the most widely accepted origin of 'scone' is the Scots Gaelic term ''sgonn'', meaning a large lump or mass, reflecting its original form as a rustic, hand-shaped bread. Other proposed etymologies, such as Middle Dutch ''schoonbrood'' (fine white bread), are less commonly supported in linguistic studies. The [[Middle Low German]] term ''schöne'', meaning fine bread, may also have played a role in the origination of this word.{{citation needed|date=October 2024}}

On the other hand, Sheila MacNiven Cameron derives the word from the town of [[Scone, Scotland|Scone]] ({{IPAc-en|audio=Scone (place name).ogg|s|k|uː|n}}) ({{langx|sco|Scone}}, {{langx|gd|Sgàin}}) in [[Scotland]], the ancient capital where [[Scottish monarchs]] were crowned, and on whose [[Stone of Scone]] the monarchs of the United Kingdom are still crowned today.<ref>Weiner and Albright. ''Simply Scones''. St. Martin's Press, 1988, p. 3.</ref>