Kansas and Arkansas are n’t so far from each other on the function , but their names seem to want nothing to do with each other . Though they share all but two letters in common , Kansas comes out as “ KANzis ” and Arkansas as “ ARkansaw . ” Why so different ?
Kansas was named for the Kansa , a Siouan tribe that live in the part . The Kansa people were bid , in plural , Kansas , and that became the name of the commonwealth . But before it did , English , French , and Spanish speaker , as well as speakers of various aboriginal American languages , all came up with their own fashion of pronouncing ( and writing ) the name of the tribe . The Kansa themselves pronounced it with a nasalized “ a ” ( rather than a full “ n ” ) , a “ z , ” and an “ eh ” speech sound – approximately “ kauzeh . ” Everyone else had their own versions , and historical record show all kinds of spellings : Kansa , Kansas , Kantha , Kances , Konza , Kauzas , Canees , Canceys … finally , Kansas won out .
Arkansas was identify for a related Siouan federation of tribes , the Quapaw . The Algonquians called them “ akansa , ” joining their own a- prefix ( used in front of ethnic groups ) to the Kansa name ( the same root as that for Kansas ) . The Algonquians ’ name for the Quapaw was picked up by others , and was also spell in various ways : Akancea , Acansea , Acansa . However , it was the Gallic variant , Arcansas , that became the base for the eventual state name . In French the final plural s is not say . Somehow , the English speaker that take over after the Louisiana Purchase decided to go with a modified French spelling along with a French orthoepy – an s on the page , but not on the tongue . ( by the way , the name Ozark comes from French aux Arcs , short for aux Arcansas . And the same native countersign that became Wichita in Kansas run with the Frenchified spelling Ouachita in Arkansas . )
Actually , it take some time for Arkansans to get along to accord on pronunciation . In 1881 , a heated dissension between the state ’s two senator , one who said “ arKANzis ” and the other who tell “ ARkansaw , ” lead to a ruling by the state legislature making the “ ARkansaw ” orthoepy official . Ever since , Americans have gone along with the s - less , first - syllable - stressed edition of Arkansas . At least when it come to the state name . The mass of Kansas do n’t go any further than that . For them it ’s the “ arKANzis ” River , and “ arKANzis ” City .
