Dear editor:
Having recently moved back to Hot Springs from Texas, I heard being called an "Arkansan." I'm not from Kansas, I was born in Arkansas.
Arkansas was once spelled "Arkansaw," as was the river.
The correct term for one from or in Arkansas is not an Arkansan, but Arkansawyer, an official designation that predates (1881) the newer Arkansas.
If you want to use Arkansan, then you need to change the pronunciation of Arkansas to Ar-kan-suss.
We are in no way tied to Kansas. To call an Arkansawyer an Arkansan is demeaning. To say the least, an insult to our heritage.
If you insist on calling us "Arkansans," kindly move to Kansas. You don't deserve to live in this proud, wonderful state.
I'm asking that people of Arkansas stand proud and denounce the term "Arkansan."
Sonny Starnes
Hot Springs
Editorial on 07/25/2017