Reminiscing with Pearl Playford
- Pearl Playford
- 17 hours ago
- 4 min read
Published February 6, 1964
Others besides myself have no doubt wondered why “Arkansas” is pronounced “Arkansaw.” The name certainly isn’t pronounced as it is spelled. I recall that years ago the accent was put on the second syllable but now it is the other way around. But a story in The Record, written 70 years ago [June 8, 1894] by the late E. F. Case, editor at that time, clears up the question.
States the article: “Periodically the question of the pronunciation of ‘Arkansas’ comes up in schools and school institutions. It will not down, or at any rate will not stay down. Even inside the State, uses differ, or formerly did. At one time one of the United States Senators from the state (Arkansas) in pronouncing the name always put the accent on the second syllable and sounded the final ‘s.’ The other placed the accent on the last syllable, which he pronounced as if spelled ‘saw.’
“In recognizing them the presiding officer of the Senate was wont to refer to one of them as ‘the gentleman from Arkansaw’ and the other as the gentleman from ‘Arkansas.’