Partially TrueArkansas, USArkansas Made Its Own Name's Pronunciation Officially Illegal to MispronounceArkansas has a real, still-active law codifying the official pronunciation of its name as 'AR-kan-saw,' passed in 1881. However, the law carries absolutely no penalty and has never been enforced — making the popular claim that mispronunciation is 'illegal' a significant overstatement.
