Local pronunciation and anglicization.

[Benjamin Barrett]

I've heard a similar story, too. I heard that the final "s" is pronounced. I
don't think I ever heard that the vowel rhymed with Kansas, though.

Benjamin Barrett
Baking the World a Better Place
www.hiroki.us

FWIW, I grew up pronouncing the final "s" in Des Moines for the city near
Seattle, but not for the one in Iowa.

> -----Original Message-----
> From: American Dialect Society
> [mailto:ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU] On Behalf Of Yass Shoji
>
> Dear Prof (?). Bethany I. Dumas,
>
> I got this story of the local people saying what seems to be
> a non-standard pronunciation from a middle-aged Japanese
> English teacher in a recent meeting, but maybe his story was dated.
>
> I had no idea of the legal aspect of this issue!
>
> Thanks again!
>
> Yass Shoji
> >
> > >2. Also what about Arkansas? Do the local people say 'aaar
> kan zas'
> > >like 'Kansas' with 'us' at the end rather than the 'aw' in
> 'law' and
> 'thought'?