Talk:nucular
from Wikipedia edit
The following sections were in a Wikipedia page about this word. They may be appropriate for inclusion in this page but I'm not sure where. Rossami
Merriam-Webster dictionary:[1]
- "Though disapproved of by many, pronunciations ending in [kjə.lə(ɹ)] have been found in widespread use among educated speakers, including scientists, lawyers, professors, congressmen, United States cabinet members, and at least two United States presidents and one vice president, who are, in other respects, educated. While most common in the United States, these pronunciations have also been heard from British and Canadian speakers."
- "The colloquial pronunciation … has been criticized in usage guides since at least the mid-20th century, although it is now commonly given as a variant in modern dictionaries."
- "The pronunciation (noo'kyə-lər), which is generally considered incorrect, is an example of how a familiar phonological pattern can influence an unfamiliar one … [since] much more common is the similar sequence (-kyə-lər), which occurs in words like particular, circular, spectacular, and in many scientific words like molecular, ocular, and vascular."
Merriam-Webster receive enough questions about their inclusion of this pronunciation in the dictionary that it is one of two pronunciations which receive particular mention in their FAQ (along with "February").[2]
Steven Pinker has proposed a phonotactic explanation for the conversion of nuclear to nucular: the unusual and disfavored sequence [kli.ər] is gradually transformed to a more acceptable configuration via metathesis. However, Arnold Zwicky notes that [kli.ər] presents no difficulty for English speakers in words such as pricklier. He also regards the proposition of metathesis as unnecessary. Zwicky suggests a morphological origin, combining the slang nuke with the common sequence -cular (molecular, particular, etc.).[3] Supporting Zwicky's hypothesis, Geoffrey Nunberg quotes a government weapons specialist: "Oh, I only say 'nucular' when I'm talking about nukes."[4]
Usage by politicians
U.S. presidents Dwight D. Eisenhower, Bill Clinton, and George W. Bush have all used this pronunciation.[5][6][7]
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References edit
- ^ nuclear - Definition from the Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary
- ^ “Your pronunciations of "February" and "nuclear" are wrong! How can you say they are correct?”, in (Please provide the book title or journal name)[1], Merriam-Webster online, 2006 October 23 (last accessed)
- ^ Zwicky, Arnold (2005 March 21) “Axe a stupid question”, in (Please provide the book title or journal name)[2], retrieved 2002-02-20
- ^ Nunberg, Geoffrey (2002 October 2) “Going Nucular”, in (Please provide the book title or journal name)[3], retrieved 2002-02-20
- ^ Geoff Nunberg (2006 October 23 (last accessed)) “Going Nucular”, in (Please provide the book title or journal name)[4], Fresh Air commentary on NPR
- ^ Kate Taylor (2006 October 23 (last accessed)) “Why Does Bush Go "Nucular"?”, in (Please provide the book title or journal name)[5], Slate
- ^ William Safire (2006 October 23 (last accessed)) “Nuclear Options”, in (Please provide the book title or journal name)[6], New York Times
Misspelling edit
Is there actual evidence that this is a common misspelling rather than a phonetic spelling of a common mispronunciation? I am unaware that persons who pronounce it correctly commonly misspell it inadvertantly. Ningauble 16:40, 7 August 2008 (UTC)