re: Arkansas' or Arkansas's.....which one is grammatically correct?

If it's a plural then the ' comes at the end. Example:

Here is a link to the Aggies' board. Aggies'

This shows the board is possessed by the plural group.


For a name that ends in S, you still have to add another 's at the end.

Travis's, Texas's, Arkansas's

The debate was never about the pronunciation.

The debate was how to spell it.

Kind of like Illinoy.

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I grew up learning that it was S' not s's but last I heard both were technically grammatically correct.

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not for a three syllable word

Why don't they just change the name of the state? Jesus, it's always something with them...

Arkansas.....name of Indian tribe that pronounced it's own name as Arkansaw. If you're too dumb to realize that, please do the world a favor and drink some raid. The spelling and pronunciation come directly from the tribe. As for the 's/s' question. They actually are both grammatically correct. Oxford school in England dictates that either are useful. I'd say they know their English.

hebronhog42

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Arkansas.....name of Indian tribe that pronounced it's own name as Arkansaw. If you're too dumb to realize that, please do the world a favor and drink some raid.

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I feel like I just read an echo...did you post this twice?

Who does that?

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However, the pronunciation is incorrect. Originally, the word Arkansas was pronounced Ar-KAN-sas. In 1881, the Arkansas General Assembly began to recognize the alternate pronunciation, Ark-an-saw, even though the pronunciation was not proper.

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You're right about the meeting of the General Assembly to codify pronunciation and spelling of "Arkansas".

You are wrong that the pronunciation is not proper.

The pronunciation comes from the French spelling of the word the Arkansas Indians used to describe themselves. They called the land 'Arkansas'. Obviously they did not use the ISO basic Latin alphabet as we do or the French did. Therefore, the French used their alphabet to create a spelling for 'Arkansas'. In French, the final 'S' is silent, much the same as another French named state 'Illinois'.

Therefore, the General Assembly decided to codify the correct spelling and pronunciation of the name Arkansas as created by the French from Native origin.

Here's the link to the legislation:

LINK

Here is the wording of the legislation:

1-4-105. Pronunciation of state name.

Whereas, confusion of practice has arisen in the pronunciation of the name of our state and it is deemed important that the true pronunciation should be determined for use in oral official proceedings.

And, whereas, the matter has been thoroughly investigated by the State Historical Society and the Eclectic Society of Little Rock, which have agreed upon the correct pronunciation as derived from history and the early usage of the American immigrants.

Be it therefore resolved by both houses of the General Assembly, that the only true pronunciation of the name of the state, in the opinion of this body, is that received by the French from the native Indians and committed to writing in the French word representing the sound. It should be pronounced in three (3) syllables, with the final “s” silent, the “a” in each syllable with the Italian sound, and the accent on the first and last syllables. 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.

History..Concurrent Resolution No. 4, Acts 1881, p. 216; C. & M. Dig., § 9181a; Pope's Dig., § 11867; A.S.A. 1947, § 5-102.

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Read my statement about the state of Arkansas formally embracing the mispronunciation of the word in 1881. The state should be pronounced Ar-KAN-sas, not Ar-kan-saw.

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Wrong. I don't know where you get this. But it's not from fact. Possibly from your own meth riddled head.


You're right about the meeting of the General Assembly to codify pronunciation and spelling of "Arkansas".

You are wrong that the pronunciation is not proper.

The pronunciation comes from the French spelling of the word the Arkansas Indians used to describe themselves. They called the land 'Arkansas'. Obviously they did not use the ISO basic Latin alphabet as we do or the French did. Therefore, the French used their alphabet to create a spelling for 'Arkansas'. In French, the final 'S' is silent, much the same as another French named state 'Illinois'.

Therefore, the General Assembly decided to codify the correct spelling and pronunciation of the name Arkansas as created by the French from Native origin.

Here's the link to the legislation:

LINK

Here is the wording of the legislation:

1-4-105. Pronunciation of state name.

Whereas, confusion of practice has arisen in the pronunciation of the name of our state and it is deemed important that the true pronunciation should be determined for use in oral official proceedings.

And, whereas, the matter has been thoroughly investigated by the State Historical Society and the Eclectic Society of Little Rock, which have agreed upon the correct pronunciation as derived from history and the early usage of the American immigrants.

Be it therefore resolved by both houses of the General Assembly, that the only true pronunciation of the name of the state, in the opinion of this body, is that received by the French from the native Indians and committed to writing in the French word representing the sound. It should be pronounced in three (3) syllables, with the final “s” silent, the “a” in each syllable with the Italian sound, and the accent on the first and last syllables. 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.

History..Concurrent Resolution No. 4, Acts 1881, p. 216; C. & M. Dig., § 9181a; Pope's Dig., § 11867; A.S.A. 1947, § 5-102.