You heard it right: Bill would let them say Ne-VAH-da http://www.rgj.com/article/20100822/NEWS/8220380/1321 FAQ of Nevada Facts http://nsla.nevadaculture.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1141&Itemid=410 Howard Hughes: Welcome Home Howard, or Whatever Became of the Daring Aviator http://digital.library.unlv.edu/hughes/ ARKan-SAW or Ar-KANSAS http://www.soskids.ar.gov/5-8-history-arkansas.html In Relation To The Pronunciation Of the Name "Arkansas" http://books.google.com/books?id=LdUTAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA462&dq=arkansas+pronunciation&hl=en&ei=roNyTKWgK5TqnQfVx_DgBw&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1&ved=0CC4Q6AEwAA#v=onepage&q=arkansas%20pronunciation&f=false The mispronunciation of place names can be aggravating to local residents, particularly when a politician or newscaster makes such a slip of the tongue. Recently, one Nevada politician decided to step into the treacherous linguistic waters surrounding the pronunciation of the state's name, and reaction throughout the state has been rather curious. The politician, Las Vegas Assemblyman Harry Mortenson, submitted a bill draft request that would note that while the preferred pronunciation of the state's name is "Ne-VAD-a", those who pronounce it "Ne-VAH-da" would not be roundly chastised. Mortenson is seeking tolerance of those who use the Spanish pronunciation. Retired Nevada state archivist Guy Rocha has mentioned that the supposed Spanish pronunciation of the word is inaccurate: "If it was Spanish, it would be pronounced 'Nay-VAH-da', because the 'e' in Spanish is a long A." While Mortenson won't be in office for the 2011 legislative session, he is hoping to have a colleague see the bill through on his behalf. The first link will take visitors to a post from Time's Newsfeed about the proposed legislative action regarding the pronunciation of Nevada. The second link leads to an article on the subject from this Sunday's Reno Gazette-Journal. The third link will whisk users away to an excellent FAQ regarding many aspects of Nevada history and culture, including an answer to the question "How did Nevada get its name?" In keeping with the Nevada theme, the fourth link leads to a very interesting digital collection from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas Libraries on the world of sometimes Nevadan, Howard Hughes. Moving on to the matter of another state's pronunciation, the fifth link explains the reason why "Arkansas" is pronounced "ARK-an-SAW" in most quarters. Finally, the last link leads to an intriguing bit of testimony published in the 1908 Proceedings of the Arkansas Historical Association regarding the state's pronunciation.