How do you pronounce “Missouri”? It depends on who you are, where you are, and why you are speaking. The city slickers (Kansas City and St. Louis) say Missou-ree. The Missouri rural folks pronounce say Missou-rah.
Missouri US Senator Claire McCaskill is bilingual in pronouncing “Missouri.” When she is wearing her bib overalls in front of a faux family homestead filming a video for rural county po’ folk voters, she use Missou-rah. When she is discussing some complicated issue like sequestration for urban voters, she pronounces our state Missou-ree.
Is it Missou-rah or Missou-ree? I am looking forward to her campaign in the suburbs of Lee’s Summit where she will teach us the proper pronunciation of “Missouri.”
