There are states where locals cringe at mangling by outsiders or where regional accents signal deep local roots (New Yawk and Loo-si-ana) but Missouri is the only state where there is fundamental, if mostly good natured, disagreement about saying the state’s name.

Scholars believe the name Missouri — however it is pronounced — comes from a word the Illinois Indians used to describe a neighboring tribe: “one who has a canoe.” But historical reasons for the split have been a matter of considerable debate among linguists and historians.

Some believe it started as an east-west split, with St. Louis favoring “ee” and Kansas City “uh.” Popular belief holds that the southern half of the state is “Missourah,” with Highway 70 serving as a sort of Mason-Dixon line, and still others contend that “Missouree” is city, “Missouruh” is country.

Increasingly, however, the divide is not geographical but generational.

“The Missouruh pronunciation carries a degree of stigma as incorrect or at least old-fashioned,” said Matthew Gordon, an associate professor of English who studies linguistics at the University of Missouri. “So many young people may avoid it even if they come from families in which the older generations used that pronunciation.”

Yet there is one demographic group that cannot seem to scrub the Missouruh name from their speech.

“A high percentage of our politicians say Missouruh,” mused Lyle Anderson, the mayor of Lebanon, who prefers the other construction.

Such politicians include, historically, President Harry S. Truman, a Democrat, and more recently, former Senators John Ashcroft and Christopher S. Bond, both Republicans. Today, most of the state’s top officials stick mostly to “Missouree,” but they sprinkle the other ending into the occasional speech, especially when they’re introducing themselves or speaking to rural audiences. Strategists say that’s just good Missouri manners.