"NUCULAR"

[shostakovich]

The use of this non-word bugs me. The mis-pronunciation (and mis-spelling) could be so easy to clear up by finding that it is not (I hope) in the dictionary. Then, writing and pronouncing N U C L E A R 10 times would correct the situation. Small stuff? Not in our fearless leader. It is symptomatic of a failing that surfaces in so many ways. Once he has made a mistake, he repeats and defends it (where necessary) "to the death" --- not his.
Shos

[Selma in Sandy Eggo]

<<sigh>> I suppose you don't like it when my Aint Anne worshes and renches her dishes, either.

[Shapley]

Of course, we've been pronouncing 'Aluminium' wrong for decades, but I don't see any general effort to fix it.

[analog]

Originally posted by Selma in Sandy Eggo:


You're right. Nucular is wrong. My only suggestion is to consider it a substandard variant dialect of English.

All this reminds me - I have to carry the car down to the mechanic and have the erl changed.

Substandard is the right term in my book. I once looked up "nuclear" in several different Webster's dictionaries. As best I recall, some years ago Webster gave "noo-kye-ler" the stylistic label substandard, meaning it's generally not used by educated people - same category as 'irregardless' and 'drownded'. In the eighties it was upgraded, i think to nonstandard, with the explanation '...used by too many educated people, including at least one US president, to be termed substandard.'
I'd guess a concession to lovable old Jimmy C.


....and.... would it be more properly said: " git the erl changed"?

Bonjour, y'all...

[OperaTenor]

This is the only thing I blame Jimmy Carter for, especially since he was a nuclear officer.

I heard, on A Way With Words, that he popularized this "substandard" (they back up your analogy of it via Webster, Analog) pronunciation of the word during his presidency, and it has been scraping along the dregs of the vernacular ever since.

As annoying as it is, at least nobody died as a result of his instigating it.

Carter - nonstandard
GWB - definitely substandard

[DavidS]

What I found funny was the need to invent "burglariZed" when "burgled" was entirely adequate...

[DavidS]

And Archie Bunker, who sat on the "terlet", had a "Pole-ack" son-in-law, and put a "Yamaha" on his head at the synagogue...

[lliam]

Originally posted by Selma in Sandy Eggo:
<<sigh>>

I suppose you don't like it when my Aint Anne worshes and renches her dishes, either.
-------------------------------------------------
You're right. Nucular is wrong. My only suggestion is to consider it a substandard variant dialect of English.
--------------------------------------------

Or, 'American English'.
-------------------------------------------------

Or, 'I gorra tek the heap dern tew the grease monkey un av thee oyl chernged'.

[barfle]

I bought a planetarium program several years ago, and it didn't take me half an hour to discover that they didn't care if they appeared as rubes and yahoos, since the narration was filled with such errors as "nuculus" and "light year" being a time span.

Pretty pictures and cool interaction, but I have my doubts as to the accuracy of their reporting.

[BigJon@Work]

So if he comes from an area of the country where this word is pronounced like this, and he does, it makes him a what? Automatically a failure? That's prejudice and I'm shocked to hear it coming from you Shos.

[treebeau]

I used to have coworkers that would talk about being "flustrated."

Nucular is just ONE of my pet peeves. There is hardly ever a talking head who says it the way it supposed to be. I have heard Carter, Clinton, Bush daddy, and GWB say Nucular. I think Reagan said Nuclear, though. Not 100% certain.

Regards,
Tim B.

[Shapley]

RE: Reagan,

Reagan probably pronouned it correctly. Having been a radio announcer and an actor, he was taught the importance of such things.

Besides, He was Ronaldus Maximus!

V/R
Shapley

[OperaTenor]

Originally posted by BigJon@Work:
So if he comes from an area of the country where this word is pronounced like this, and he does, it makes him a what? Automatically a failure? That's prejudice and I'm shocked to hear it coming from you Shos.

RTWP(expletive deleted)

Shos cited GWB's dogged determination to misunderpronounce the word as indicative of his dogged determination to stay the course on all of his actions, regardless of their stupidity, immorality and/or criminality.

<Dagnabit! There goes that political Tourrette's again! Where did I misunderplace my meds?!>

[Shapley]

One of our instructors in Nuclear Power School used to pronounce it 'nucular'. We joked about it for a while, but eventually got used to it. I believe he is the same one that also talked about 'lectricity and 'luminum.

[BigJon@Work]

Originally posted by OperaTenor:
RTWP(expletive deleted)

Dunno what you mean by this, but I think you proved my point. It's not dogged anything, it's a regional accent.

If

accent = mentality

Then

putting down accent = prejudice

[OperaTenor]

I'm from the Southwest(and have never had a problem pronouncing it correctly), and I've heard lots and lots of Southerners and Westerners pronounce it the right way, far more than mispronounce it.

Daddy Bush has a nor'easter accent, and he pronounces it "nucular". Does that mean the regions of mispronunciation include the Northeast?

Saying "nucular" is not the same type of regional peculiarity as saying "pahk the cah".

What I think it really is is a manifestation of vanity.

<small>[ 03-17-2006, 01:53 PM: Message edited by: OperaTenor ]</small>

[barfle]

Originally posted by OperaTenor:
GWB's dogged determination to misunderpronounce

Whar ahm fum tha cawlit musinderpronuncificayshunahzin.

[shostakovich]

Hi BigJon.
"So if he comes from an area of the country where this word is pronounced like this, and he does, it makes him a what? Automatically a failure? That's prejudice and I'm shocked to hear it coming from you Shos."

-----------------------------------------------------
There is no part of this country where "nucular" is proper pronunciation for "nuclear". My prejudice is against militant ignorance, which Bush has in abundance. I wouldnt fuss over it in any innocuous conversation. LOTS of people say it. I think Jay Leno is one. No big deal. But I'm saying it's a SYMPTOM of a serious flaw in a LEADER. The symptom is not the problem, but the FLAW is a mAJOR problem.
Shos

[shostakovich]

Originally posted by BigJon@Work:
So if he comes from an area of the country where this word is pronounced like this, and he does, it makes him a what? Automatically a failure? That's prejudice and I'm shocked to hear it coming from you Shos.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

RTWP(expletive deleted)

Shos cited GWB's dogged determination to misunderpronounce the word as indicative of his dogged determination to stay the course on all of his actions, regardless of their stupidity, immorality and/or criminality.
------------------------------------------------------

Thanks, OT. I answered BigJon before I came to your eloquent defense. Doesn't hurt to have it in twice, though.

[BigJon@Work]

Originally posted by shostakovich:
There is no part of this country where "nucular" is proper pronunciation for "nuclear".

Just 'cause you say it ain't so, it ain't so? Sorry 'tis so. Now you seem to be combining hubris with prejudice.