# What is the Plural of "Arkansas?" **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [February 14, 2020, 4:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-plural-of-arkansas/847936 "2020-02-14T16:21:14Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2020, 4:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-plural-of-arkansas/847936/41 "2020-02-15T16:58:24Z")
> [@KneadToKnow](#): > > This is the correct answer to this and almost all “this structure seems incredibly awkward to express clearly and grammatically” questions. Re-write it so that it is can be clear and grammatical. But that’s just avoiding the question. Just because a structure is inelegant in a certain situation doesn’t mean that it doesn’t exist. And if it exists, then someone might want to use it, regardless of whether it’s considered sub-optimal. And if it exists, then there must be at least one answer to the question > [@](#): > > This is also why brand names usually do not officially have a plural. You’re not supposed to say “Rolls-Royces,” you’re supposed to say “Rolls-Royce automobiles.” [Cite.](http://www.inta.org/TrademarkBasics/FactSheets/Pages/TrademarkUseFactSheet.aspx) The guidelines perpetuated by trademark owners are irrelevant to questions of English usage in all but limited trademark-relevant circumstances. What a trademark owner “officially” desires is of no interest or relevance to discussions of English usage. I say that as someone with 20-plus years of experience with intellectual property law. So go ahead and say “Rolls-Royces” and “Legos” and “Mont Blancs” and “Kleenexes” and “Canons” and “Oreos” and “Tic Tacs” and “Adidases” if that what comes naturally to you. And, please, capitalize them like normal words. Ignore logotype nonsense like “adidas” and “macy\*s” and “Yahoo!” and “eBay.” It’s Adidas, Macy’s, Yahoo, and EBay for regular people. Language doesn’t belong to trademark owners. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2020, 5:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-plural-of-arkansas/847936/42 "2020-02-15T17:08:51Z")
> [@Acsenray](#): > > But that’s just avoiding the question. Just because a structure is inelegant in a certain situation doesn’t mean that it doesn’t exist. And if it exists, then someone might want to use it, regardless of whether it’s considered sub-optimal. And if it exists, then there must be at least one answer to the question Yes, trying to make a plural out of Arkansas is inelegant and hard to say, but it’s also incorrect, given that only one of the ships is called Arkansas. ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2020, 5:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-plural-of-arkansas/847936/43 "2020-02-15T17:19:15Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > Yes, trying to make a plural out of Arkansas is inelegant and hard to say, but it’s also incorrect, given that only one of the ships is called Arkansas. Something being factually incorrect is irrelevant to grammar and usage. Grammar is syntactical, regardless of whether the syntax produces a meaningful or truthful result. “The green spaces eat hot refrigeration.” It’s a grammatically correct statement. It might be a counter-factual statement, or it might become factually correct in the future. If one person starts calling Arkansas-class monitors “Arkansases,” and that is picked up by other people, then eventually the incorrectness may become correct. That’s language. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2020, 5:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-plural-of-arkansas/847936/44 "2020-02-15T17:29:35Z")
That is true, especially given that we’re talking about [_monitors_](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monitor_(warship)), which is a type of warship named after a particular ship called the [USS Monitor](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Monitor). So if that sort of thing ever happens to “Arkansas-class monitors”, we’ll have to adapt. I still argue, though, that the inelegance of a plural form of Arkansas is a big reason why we’ll never do that. (There’s also the fact that there was only ever four ships of the type.) ---
**Author:** ![RioRico](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/f04885/32.png) [@RioRico](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RioRico)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2020, 1:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-plural-of-arkansas/847936/45 "2020-02-16T01:25:48Z")
One Arkansas. More Arkansaws. That raises (not begs) the question, Why have more than one Arkansas? Why overload? Well, suppose there’s an east-west secessionist movement, with E.AR vs W.AR. Then we’d have two Arkansaws, for sure. But if they divorce, are they still siblings? 😕 Arkansaw is official. “…the Arkansaw spelling is the one used on the Act that created the territory. But in the end, the original Arkansas spelling is the one that prevailed, but it did so with an Anglicized version of the French pronunciation.” [(cite)](http://www.cimarronkansas.net/Arkansas%20the%20state.htm) One Arkansas. More Arkansaws. Many Arkanzoids (Arkansas-like entities). ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2020, 1:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-plural-of-arkansas/847936/46 "2020-02-16T01:30:33Z")
I know a few Arkanzoids. ---
**Author:** ![Melbourne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b5e925/32.png) [@Melbourne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Melbourne)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2020, 1:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-plural-of-arkansas/847936/47 "2020-02-16T01:55:29Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > Given that only one of the four ships was named Arkansas, it seems wrong to refer to collectively by that name. Instead you would call them the Arkansas-class monitors, and then perhaps just the monitors. What? I thought this was about the Akron class, and weren’t there only two of those? 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2020, 2:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-plural-of-arkansas/847936/48 "2020-02-16T02:39:06Z")
Didn’t the first sentence of the OP make it clear what we were talking about? ---
**Author:** ![Melbourne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b5e925/32.png) [@Melbourne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Melbourne)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2020, 10:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-plural-of-arkansas/847936/49 "2020-02-16T10:00:01Z")
I think you mean “made clear in the second post”. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2020, 5:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-plural-of-arkansas/847936/50 "2020-02-16T17:38:33Z")
I have no idea what point you are trying to make. ---
**Author:** ![RioRico](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/f04885/32.png) [@RioRico](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RioRico)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2020, 11:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-plural-of-arkansas/847936/51 "2020-02-16T23:26:05Z")
> [@Beckdawrek](#): > > I know a few Arkanzoids. Any Arkansawers? Not the same as Arkanseeyas. I feel an urge to correct my prior post. No Arkansas. One Arkansaw. Many Arkansaws. Few Arkansawbucks. ---
**Author:** ![Melbourne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b5e925/32.png) [@Melbourne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Melbourne)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2020, 11:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-plural-of-arkansas/847936/52 "2020-02-16T23:43:22Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > I have no idea what point you are trying to make. That’s ok. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-plural-of-arkansas/847936.md?page=2)