My mom and dad are from St. Louis. They were both born in 1919. Both of them and all their brothers, sisters, aunts, uncles, moms, etc. have always said Missourah. My dad spent 30 years as a pilot in the USAF and we lived just in many different places so I've heard many different dialects. I have awed many a person from St. Louis by being able to discern their hometown instantly by the "ar" pronunciation of every "or" word, i.e. carn for corn, starm for storm, fark for fork (but FORT is always said correctly) :-) I know the Politically Correct way to say Missouri is with the "ree" but frankly, I've always thought saying it with the "ah" sound made us "insiders". Go figure!!! LOL I do take exception to the post by someone who indicated "those with proper education say it with an "ree" not the "rah". Except for my great grandparents on my mother's side, everyone in my family had a "proper" education. They just speak with the dialect that was prevalent in their neighborhoods at the time they were growing up... the younger generations in my family no longer say it, so I think it may be something from the past. Happy New Year to all. Hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas In a message dated 12/25/2003 7:01:46 PM Pacific Standard Time, MO-STLOUIS-METRO-D-request@rootsweb.com writes: > Maybe this will help those in doubt? > > MissouREE! Or MissouRAH? Old Debate Renewed > Secretary of State Matt Blunt had no idea how intensely Missourians feel > about the pronunciation of their state's name. His recent unscientific state > fair > poll, in which MissouREE was voted vastly more popular than MissouRAH, has > only rekindled the debate. > There have been battling letters to the editor across the Show-Me State. > The Springfield News-Leader awarded an editorial "thorn" to those who > selected MissouRAH. At the Columbia Daily Tribune, editor Hank Waters > counted himself > a MissouRAH man, too, and he tweaked adherents of MissouREE, jokingly > tagging > them ignoramuses. > But MissouREE's supporters have been heard from, too. > "Us true Missourians-has anybody ever said Missourahians?-who pronounce it > correctly say 'Missouree,'" one newspaper reader declared in a letter to the > > editor. > "It's a delightful debate, and it's a fun debate," Blunt said in a recent > interview, sorting letters and e-mails from fans and detractors of his > unscientific survey during the state fair in August. > About 5,300 people cast ballots at the state fair-including children-and > Blunt said REE trounced RAH, 74 percent to 26 percent. > "It's a debate, I hope, with no end in sight," Blunt said. "I hope it goes > on > for generations." >