Mih-zur-ee vs. Mah-zur-ah

[o0quirkygirl0o]

I was born and raised in Missouri and, for the record, the southern half of the state tends to say Mah-zur-ah and the north half (and urban cores) say Mih-zur-ee.

Because of the two pronunciations most politicians in the state say the name both ways in every commercial in order to please both groups from the state.

So, it's not always said Mah-zur-ah by the locals.

 

[medicjch]

So, it's not always said Mah-zur-ah by the locals.

No, it's not and it absolutely drives me nuts when people say it this way. My Mom (born/rasised and an English teacher) says it with the AH at the end, but my wife and I say it correctly........with the E sound at the end.

Side note........If you see someone from Missouri (possibly wearing a MIZZOU) shirt, you can always say M-I-Z and see if you get a Z-O-U response. For those that don't know, that is one of the traditional cheers at the University of Missouri sporting events!

I haven't listened to the show yet, so I'm not sure what sparked this, but felt I had to chime in on this one.

 

[o0quirkygirl0o]

In the ladies only show they touched on the idea that locals always use the "ah" pronunciation. I just wanted to clarify that both ways are used by the locals.

I was raised in Kansas City and my grandparents (from southern MO) and parents always said it with the "ah". My friends and I always said it with the "ee" ending. Neither one particularly bothers me. But it's interesting to know that there is that split happening within the state.

On the other hand, it drives me CRAZY when my family adds the "r" sound to wash. As in, "I'll put those clothes in the warshing machine," or "Let's go to Warshington, DC."

 

[FiggieFan]

Thanks for clarifying the state breakdown on that. My fiance and his family are located west of Kansas City and branch out towards the center of the state, along the I-70 corridor (Blue Springs, Odessa, Higginsville, Concordia, etc) and they all say "EEE". We have had some talks trying to figure out where the "ahs" come from. And strangely enough, here is South Jersey, I have had some people try to correct me to the "ah".

 

[SamSam]

My relatives (mid-missouri) all said/say 'ah'.

I have to admit I'm a Warsh kinda gal. Can't
help it, it's almost impossible for me to say Wash.

 

[Worfiedoodles]

I'm from St. Louis and I say "ee", my parents are from the bootheel and they say "ah". It used to drive me crazy that my mom said "Sant Louis" instead of "Saint Louis". I went to undergrad in NE MO and you could really tell people were from urban vs. non-urban areas based on their pronunciation.

Maria