Nucular

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Nucular is an ad hoc spelling of an incorrect pronunciation of the word nuclear, representing the IPA: /ˈnjuːkjələr/ (NEW-cue-lurr) pronunciation of that word instead of the correct /ˈnjuːkliːɚ/ (NEWK-lee-urr).

This pronunciation is disapproved, although some dictionaries recognize it because of its increasing usage.^[1]

1 Lexical notes
2 Usage by politicians
3 Motivation
4 In popular culture
5 See also
6 References

[edit] Lexical notes

In addition to the above-discussed rôle of the word as a mispronunciation, there is also a pre-existing though rarely used word in botany, "nucular" which is defined as "of or related to a nucule", which is a section of a compound (usually hard) fruit.^[2]

Merriam-Webster dictionary:^[3]

"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."

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 (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").^[4]

[edit] Usage by politicians

U.S. presidents Dwight D. Eisenhower, Bill Clinton, and George W. Bush have all used this pronunciation.^[5]^[6]^[7]

[edit] Motivation

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.).^[8] Supporting Zwicky's hypothesis, Geoffrey Nunberg quotes a government weapons specialist: "Oh, I only say 'nucular' when I'm talking about nukes."^[9]

[edit] In popular culture

In Doctor Strangelove, the B-52 Stratofortress pilot, Southerner Major Kong, upon receiving the code to attack, replaced his helmet with a cowboy hat and says, "Well friends, I reckon this is it. Nucular combat toe to toe with the Russkies."

"Nucular" is the pronunciation preferred by Homer Simpson, a safety operator at a nuclear power plant. 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. For example, in the episode "Simpson Tide", Homer uses it in correcting the captain of a nuclear submarine.^[10] In one episode of The Simpsons, Marge pronounces the word "foliage" as if it were "foilage". Lisa corrects her but Marge replies that it "doesn't take a nucular scientist to pronounce foilage."

In the movie Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, Harrison Ford uses the mispronounced word after a nuclear test.