Nucular

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Nucular is a metathesis of the word nuclear which represents the commonplace [ˈn(j)uːkjə.lə(ɹ)] (in IPA) pronunciation of that word instead of [ˈn(j)uː.kli.ə(ɹ)] or [ˈn(j)uː.kli͡ə(ɹ)]; in other words, the pronunciation which rhymes not with "likelier", but with "particular".

The pronunciation is disapproved of by some who consider it a mispronunciation, although most influential dictionaries recognize it to some extent and it appears to be used increasingly.^[1]

1 Lexical notes
2 Usage by politicians
3 Phonotactical motivation
4 Usage in popular entertainment
5 References
6 See also

[edit] Lexical notes

Merriam-Webster dictionary:

"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. While most common in the U.S., these pronunciations have also been heard from British and Canadian speakers."

Oxford English Dictionary:

"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."

American Heritage Dictionary:

"The pronunciation [ˈn(j)uːkjə.lə(ɹ)], which is generally considered incorrect, is an example of how a familiar phonological pattern can influence an unfamiliar one."

Merriam-Webster receives 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]

[edit] Usage by politicians

U.S. Presidents Dwight D. Eisenhower, Jimmy Carter, Bill Clinton and George W. Bush have all used this pronunciation.^[3]^[4]^[5]

Jimmy Carter in particular had served as an officer on a United States Navy experimental nuclear submarine,^[6] and would have been well exposed to both pronunciations.

[edit] Phonotactical motivation

The principle which converts nuclear to nucular is founded in the phonotactics of the English language.

By assimilation, the [kli.ər] sequence of the word [n(j)uː.kli.ər] becomes [kljər] in natural speech.
The consonant cluster [klj] is strongly disfavoured in English: English stops are followed by one approximant at most.
The disfavoured cluster [klj] is reduced. That reduction is achieved through metathesis ([l] and [jə] are swapped so that [kljər] becomes [kjəl(ə)r]).

This is probably influenced by other adjectives in the science technical terminology that end in -cular (molecular, particular etc.).

[edit] Usage in popular entertainment

"Nucular" is also the pronunciation preferred by Homer Simpson, and his confident use of it in The Simpsons exemplifies a level of cultural information that is largely overheard at some distance, second-hand, rather than read. It is used by Homer for example in the episode Simpson Tide, where he is correcting the captain of a nuclear submarine.^[7]

The entire argument was parodied on one episode of Family Guy, in which Peter says to Lois, "Haha! You said nuclear; it's nucular, dummy; the 's' is silent."^[8]

On an episode of The Daily Show a Super Hero cartoon is shown with the main character having an incredible similarity with George W. Bush. When the announcer states that the hero, The Decider, is "without fear of correctness," it shows the main character in front of a white board with the words "Nuclear" and "Nucular," circling "Nucular."

In Angel, Fred (played by Amy Acker) is a highly intelligent (former) student of physics who uses the "nucular" pronunciation. Both the character and the actress were born in Dallas, Texas.

Also most characters in the popular tv series '24' use this pronunciation repeatedly (especially in season 4).