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Writer's pictureLOIDA GARRIDO

SAY "ARKANSAS"

Updated: Sep 15, 2020

Say "Arkansas"


Make sure you do it right because It is against the law to mispronounce the name of the State of Arkansas in that State...it seems to be a law designed to get everyone into trouble. So, if you mispronounce Arkansas you're in for a fine or jail time.


Watch the video to know how to say it properly:



1. Well, this is not totally true. Read the law carefully and say if you still think mispronunctiation of the word Arkansas is illegal:


'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 discouraged by Arkansans'


2. It is dense so analyse the words in bold. You'll notice that the language of the resolution uses words like "should" and "discouraged", not "must".


What's the difference between these two MODAL VERBS, should and must?


a. Write a sentence with each to show the difference and explain.

b. Do this exercise to test your understanding. Write the answers in your notebook.


This resolution was just to make the proper pronunciation "official", the French one... French??? Yes, it's all around the Mississippi River Valley. And it is simply huge!




3. The French were the first European settlers in Arkansas. But not the first settlers...Click on the link to know more about this part of history and summarise the main points in your notebook:




4. Now do exercises 1-5 from Culture on pages 138 and 139. CITIZEN Z B1.


It’s time to swap spit and hit the road! Bye!



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