If the tribe was called the Akansa, then multiple members of the tribe were the Akansas. But since the final "s" is silent in French, all that's left is the "ah" sound. The article in the Arkansas Historical Quarterly makes an interesting point, though.
The Arkansas legislature made a big deal in about fixing for good the true pronunciation of the state name, emphasizing that all three "a"s should be pronounced "with the Italian sound. In , the Arkansas Historical Society wrote the iconic American poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow for his take on the pronunciation question.
Case closed. Sign up for our Newsletter! Mobile Newsletter banner close. Mobile Newsletter chat close. Mobile Newsletter chat dots. The traditional form "arkanSAW" was made official by the state legislature in Really, you should put in some supporting information I can find no supporting facts in your blog to back this assertion, neither name, school, or teacher. Apparently this is just a fanciful dreamed up idea. Do you have anymore supporting information than what you presented?
Any comments, corrections or retractions? Don Crouch, Sacramento, Ca. My Reply. Dear Don. I am not sure why you think this article is a blog. It is just what I state it to be, a recollection from my childhood days. I have no problem with anyone thinking it is a "fanciful dreamed up idea". This site is intended for people interested in our little town and I do not put anything on with the intention of starting an argument.
The area was first settled by the French, who usually used the spelling Arkansa to refer to the tribe and to the village in which they lived. They used the plural, Arkansas, to refer to members of the tribe. After the region was de-Frenched in the early nineteenth century, the pronunciation remained the French one--or, rather, an Anglicized version of the French one--which would be something like "Arkansaw. But in the end, the original Arkansas spelling is the one that prevailed, but it did so with an Anglicized version of the French pronunciation.
By the way, the state of Kansas, also named by the French for an Indian people and with the -s representing a French plural, dropped the French pronunciation entirely and adopted an English pronunciation based on the Kansas spelling, which is why the pronunciation of Kansas and Arkansas differ.
This makes much more sense than changing a pronunciation just because it is different than what the French speak. Dorsey Dhegiha. They were usually on some part of the Kansas River, which derives its name from them. Subscriber Account active since. We can thank the French.
Arkansas was named for the French plural of a Native American tribe, while Kansas is the English spelling of a similar one. Since the letter "s" at the end of French words is usually silent, we pronounce Bill Clinton's home state "Arkansaw. Kansas is named for the Kansas River, which is named for the Kansa tribe.
It's the English spelling though, so naturally, we pronounce the final "s. The French, however, left their mark on Arkansas ' pronunciation. French explorers learned of a sect of the Quapaw, a Native American tribe in the territory now known as Arkansas, from the Algonquians, who called the people akansa most likely related to the Kansa tribe. And the same native word that became Wichita in Kansas went with the Frenchified spelling Ouachita in Arkansas. Actually, it took some time for Arkansans to come to agreement on pronunciation.
Ever since, Americans have gone along with the s-less, first-syllable-stressed version of Arkansas.
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