Arizona republican. [volume] (Phoenix, Ariz.) 1890-1930, 1908-08-02
ANCIENT CONTROVERSY
BROUGHT TO LIGHT
The Long Ago Settled Question, Is 1t
"Arizonan" or "Arizonian"?

| by a gentleman of Duncan, Arizona,
who is about to start a newspaper
there and wants to name it 1.-The Ari-
conan" or "The Arizonian." which ever
is right. He referred the subject to
Governor Kibbey, who replied at
1 length, as follows:
Mr.. L. +. Vaughn, Duncan Arizona:
Dear Sir-I am in receipt of your let
ter ot the 22nd instant.
| do not remember how the word APP
pears in my last report, whether "Ari-
conan" or eArizonian", though l pre-
sumo the former. as that is the way
/ have been accustomed to form it,
| l do not know that there is a rule
Applicable to this instance of forming
the .adjective-noun from the noun.
IAN" is an old English form of suf-
! fix. modified from zen" and often
elaborated into Ian, added to form
the adjective noun.
In proper names there is a tendency
to Latinize the form by the use of
ian" while that form is also often
used merely for eGphony.
! The suffix is properly "an", but the
tendency to Latinize and the desire
for euphonious expression seem to
modify it at WILL particularly in proper
names, as l have suggested.
| Euphony itself is conventional and
often a mere matter of habit. Ease of
pronunciation ought rather to govern
| than mere euphony, although it gener-
ally directly contributes to euphony.
SO much does taste. habit and GUS
tom vary in the matter of euphony
that there cannot be safely laid down
any rule, although hundreds of in
stances may be given of modification
or alteration of compound or deriva-
tive words for sake of ease of pro-
nunciation and consequent euphony
In some cases the instances are so
numerous that we are apt to at
tempt to deduce a rule from that
fact; but we are liable to find so
many exceptions that the rule is
doubtful at best.
As I have said the suffix is origin
| ally AN, but ian" is used often in
accordance with the tendency to Lat
inize and often for the sake of
euphony. 1 have not at hand for
ready reference any authority for the
statement OF rule, however general
the rule might be.
Without giving the matter any care
full investigation / had given the pref
erence to AriZonan over Arizonian. l
did this from a notion that the rule
was % that if the principal noun
ended in a consonant ''ian" should be
added to form the adjective or the adj
jectival noun. Thus we have: WASH
ington. Washingtonian; jefferson. JEFF
fersonian; oregon, Oregonian; We'll
lington, Wellingtonian; Bacon. Bac-
oman; Johnson, Johnsonian, etc.
1t would be difficult to pronounce
these adjectival nouns if the simple
IAN" were added. 1t would sound at
least odd to say "Washingtonan" You
will notice too in these instances that
the last syllable ton" or "son," etc,
in these words is much changed in the
adjective form. The 20" is heightened
and the syllable accented. This sup
pose is in Difference to the tendency to
Latinize the form. 90 That II the
proper name ended in az Cor ~" its
equivalen) then IAN" was added: or,
rather an IN" was added, making the
form naturally and easily ian, as:
California, Californian; Kentucky,
Kentuckian: Georgia, Georgian: etc.
go That If the name ended in any
other vowel than 81" Cor its equivalent
''y') IAN" was added, as for instance:
Alaska, Alaskan; Nebraska, Nebrask-
IAN; Ohio. Ohioan: Mexico, Mexican;
Iowa, Iowan; Tennessee, Tennessean;
Dakota, Dakotan, etc.
BY this rule Arizona naturally be-
comes in the adjective form "Arizon-
an, and not "Arizonian"
OF course, there are exceptions to
this rule. In most of the apparent ex-
captions l find. however, complete
modification in the pronunciation to
accord suppose again with the tend
ency to Latinize, as Canada, which
according to the rule I have sought to
deduce should be CANADIAN (accenting
the syllable as in Canada )becomes
instead Canadian, showing that some
modification of pronunciation as in
the Latinized forms of Washington,
etc
Florida similarly becomes Floridian,
wholly changing the sound of the
word, and also Carolina becomes Car
Gilman.
In the case OF Arizona this modifi-
cation does not occur by adding IAN"
or IAN, so that the objection to
change of pronunciation does not ap-
ply.
Alabama, which under my rule
would be Alabaman, is according to
the Century Dictionary "Alabamian"
Indiana Is also an exception to the
rule, the adjective form being Indian
ian.
The following is list of the names
of the states and their adjective forms
as given in the Century:
America, American; Alabama. Ala
bamian (eXception); Arizona (not
given) Arkansas mot given); Califor-
mia, Californian; Colorado mot given);
Connecticut mot given); Dakota, Da-
gotan; Delaware, Delawarian; Florida
Floridian Oatinized); Georgia, Geor-
gian; Hawaii, Hawaiian; Idaho. (not
given); Illinois. 1llionoyan or Illinoiz-
ian; Indiana, Indianian (eXception);
Iowa, Iowan; Kansas. mot given);
Kentucky, Kentuckian; Louisiana,
LOuisianian O.atinized); Maine. mot
given); Maryland. Marylander; Mas
saehusetts. MISUNDERSTANDING; Michi-
gan. { not given); Minnesota Mime
sotan; Mississippi, Mississippian;
Missouri. Missourian; Nebraska, Ne
braskan; Nevada, mot given); New
Hampshire, (not given); New York,
New Yorker; New Jersey mot given)