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The pronunciation with the accent on the second syllable with the sound of “a” in “man” and the sounding of the terminal “s” is an innovation to be discouraged. While there is no legal punishment for the mispronunciation of the state, it is still technically illegal to call the state anything other than “ARkanSAW.”
Arkansas is pronounced "Arkansaw" because the state legislature officially declared it in 1881 to honor the French pronunciation of the Native American tribe who lived there, the Quapaw, who were called "Akansa". The spelling "Arkansas" reflects the French explorers' influence, while the "aw" sound preserves the native pronunciation, as the final 's' is silent in French.
- French influence:
The name comes from the French plural of the Native American word for the Quapaw tribe, "akansa". French explorers who first mapped the territory used the spelling "Arkansas".
- Native American pronunciation:
The pronunciation "Arkansaw" reflects the original sound of the name as the tribe spoke it, with the final 's' being silent, as is common in French.
- Official declaration:
The pronunciation became a point of contention between the state's two U.S. senators. In 1881, the state legislature passed a resolution to officially pronounce the name "Arkansaw" to honor both the French explorers (through the spelling) and the Native American inhabitants (through the pronunciation).
- Native American pronunciation:
