Nucular

This article is about the improper pronunciation and/or misspelling of the word nuclear.

While most dictionaries do not list the pronunciation as correct, some recognize it because of its increased usage.

Lexical notes

In addition to the above-discussed role 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.

Merriam-Webster Dictionary:

"Though disapproved of by many, pronunciations ending in \-kyə-lər\ 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 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."

Oxford American Dictionary:

"A variant pronunciation...has been used by many, but is widely regarded as unacceptable."

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").

Notable users

U.S. presidents who have used this pronunciation include Dwight D. Eisenhower, Jimmy Carter, Bill Clinton, and George W. Bush. Others who have used this pronunciation include Vice Presidents Walter Mondale and Dick Cheney, former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin, Star Trek actor DeForest Kelley, actor Kiefer Sutherland in his role as Jack Bauer in the TV series 24, Homer Simpson and Professor Marcus du Sautoy in a 2011 BBC documentary called "Faster Than The Speed Of Light".

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.). Supporting Zwicky's hypothesis, Geoffrey Nunberg quotes a government weapons specialist: "Oh, I only say 'nucular' when I'm talking about nukes." Nunberg argues that this pronunciation by weapons specialists and by politicians such as Bush – who are aware of the more accepted pronunciation – may be a "deliberate choice". He suggests that the reasons for this choice are to "assert authority" or to sound folksy.

See also

• Bushism
• Strategery
• U.S. Presidents IQ hoax