<P> The name "Missouri" has several different pronunciations even among its present - day natives, the two most common being / mɪˈzɜːri / (listen) and / məˈzɜːrə / (listen). Further pronunciations also exist in Missouri or elsewhere in the United States, involving the realization of the first syllable as either / mə - / or / mɪ - /; the medial consonant as either / z / or / s /; the vowel in the second syllable as either / ɜːr / or / ʊər /; and the third syllable as (i) (listen), (ə) (listen), centralized (ɪ̈) (listen)), or nothing . Any combination of these phonetic realizations may be observed coming from speakers of American English . </P> <P> The linguistic history was treated definitively by Donald M. Lance, who acknowledged that the question is sociologically complex, but that no pronunciation could be declared "correct", nor could any be clearly defined as native or outsider, rural or urban, southern or northern, educated or otherwise . Politicians often employ multiple pronunciations, even during a single speech, to appeal to a greater number of listeners . Often, informal respellings of the state's name, such as "Missour - ee" or "Missour - uh", are used informally to phonetically distinguish pronunciations . </P> <P> There is no official state nickname . However, Missouri's unofficial nickname is the "Show Me State", which appears on its license plates . This phrase has several origins . One is popularly ascribed to a speech by Congressman Willard Vandiver in 1899, who declared that "I come from a state that raises corn and cotton, cockleburs and Democrats, and frothy eloquence neither convinces nor satisfies me . I'm from Missouri, and you have got to show me ." This is in keeping with the saying "I'm from Missouri" which means "I'm skeptical of the matter and not easily convinced ." However, according to researchers, the phrase "show me" was already in use before the 1890s . Another one states that it is a reference to Missouri miners who were taken to Leadville, Colorado to replace striking workers . Since the new men were unfamiliar with the mining methods, they required frequent instruction . </P> <P> Other nicknames for Missouri include "The Lead State", "The Bullion State", "The Ozark State", "The Mother of the West", "The Iron Mountain State", and "Pennsylvania of the West". It is also known as the "Cave State" because there are more than 6,000 recorded caves in the state (second to Tennessee). Perry County is the county with the largest number of caves and the single longest cave . </P>

How did missouri get the name show me state
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