I’m too much of a big city boy now, especially since I moved from Oklahoma directly to Saint Louis, so I have no way of directly knowing how true this is. But Randy Turner (who is based in Southwest Missouri) picks up on a Cynthia Davis quote to point out to politicians that most people who say Missour-ah are politicians who are just trying to be folksy.
The quote that irked him:
Mrs. Davis, termed the Worst Person in the World twice last week by Countdown’s Keith Olberman, revealed her plan Friday to KMOX listeners. This was her response to a question about whether she would run for a statewide office:
Well, you never know. All I know is I bought myself a pair of cowboy boots and I’m learning how to say Missour-ah.
And as he says in the post, it irked him more that it was Davis making the stupid joke because he had just noted a week ago that she disparaged rural folks on real estate taxes. She even says at one point, “They honestly don’t understand. It’s my job to try to educate them.”
By the way, I don’t always agree with Randy, but he’s definitely one of my daily reads. If nothing else, he drives the Gary Nodler fans crazy.
Clark said:
I don’t really care if the majority of rural Missourians say Missouri or Missourah, and I’m not trying to talk down to anyone who says Missourah. I do think it’s weird for people who grew up saying Missouri to suddenly start saying Missourah just because they’re asking for rural votes.
Byron DeLear said:
…”Missourians”, which if slurred correctly, covers both bases 😉