''Nucular'' is a common, proscribed pronunciation of the word "
nuclear
Nuclear may refer to:
Physics
Relating to the nucleus of the atom:
* Nuclear engineering
*Nuclear physics
*Nuclear power
*Nuclear reactor
*Nuclear weapon
*Nuclear medicine
*Radiation therapy
*Nuclear warfare
Mathematics
*Nuclear space
*Nuclear ...
". It is a
rough phonetic spelling of . The ''Oxford English Dictionary''s entry dates the word's first published appearance to 1943.
Dictionary notes
This is one of two contentious pronunciations which receive particular mention in the FAQ of the ''
Merriam-Webster Dictionary
''Webster's Dictionary'' is any of the English language dictionaries edited in the early 19th century by American lexicographer Noah Webster (1758–1843), as well as numerous related or unrelated dictionaries that have adopted the Webster's ...
'':
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.
The ''
American Heritage Dictionary'' notes:
The pronunciation (noo'kyə-lər), which is generally considered incorrect, is an example of how a familiar phonological pattern can influence an unfamiliar one … ince Ince may refer to:
*Ince, Cheshire, a village in Cheshire, UK
*Ince-in-Makerfield in the Metropolitan Borough of Wigan, UK
*Ince (UK Parliament constituency), a former constituency covering Ince-in-Makerfield
*Ince (ward), an electoral ward covering ...
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''.
The ''
Oxford English Dictionary
The ''Oxford English Dictionary'' (''OED'') is the first and foundational historical dictionary of the English language, published by Oxford University Press (OUP). It traces the historical development of the English language, providing a com ...
'' notes:
The colloquial pronunciation British /ˈnjuːkjʊlə/, U.S. /ˈn(j)ukjələr/ (frequently rendered in written form as ''nucular'' .. 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.
In his 1999 book ''The Big Book of Beastly Mispronunciations'', logophile
Charles Harrington Elster
Charles Harrington Elster (born 1957, New York City) is an American writer, broadcaster, and logophile. In 1998, he cofounded and cohosted the weekly public radio show ''A Way with Words
''A Way with Words'' is an American weekly public radio ...
noted that the vast majority of those he spoke with during the writing of his book as well as 99 percent of the 1985
usage panel of Morris & Morris' ''Harper Dictionary of Contemporary Usage'' specifically condemned the use of the word and characterized it as a mispronunciation. Elster's own view on the matter derives from the root of the word: "''nucleus''".
Arguing by analogy, Elster suggests that "''Molecular'' comes from ''molecule'', and ''particular'' comes from ''particle'', but there is no ''nucule'' to support ''nucular''."
[ Elster, Charles Harrington. ''The Big Book Of Beastly Mispronunciations: The Complete Opinionated Guide for the Careful Speaker''. Houghton Mifflin. Pp.347-350. . 2006.]
Notable users
The U.S. presidents
Dwight D. Eisenhower
Dwight David "Ike" Eisenhower (born David Dwight Eisenhower; ; October 14, 1890 – March 28, 1969) was an American military officer and statesman who served as the 34th president of the United States from 1953 to 1961. During World War II, ...
,
Jimmy Carter
James Earl Carter Jr. (born October 1, 1924) is an American politician who served as the 39th president of the United States from 1977 to 1981. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, he previously served as th ...
,
Bill Clinton
William Jefferson Clinton ( né Blythe III; born August 19, 1946) is an American politician who served as the 42nd president of the United States from 1993 to 2001. He previously served as governor of Arkansas from 1979 to 1981 and agai ...
,
George W. Bush
George Walker Bush (born July 6, 1946) is an American politician who served as the 43rd president of the United States from 2001 to 2009. A member of the Republican Party, Bush family, and son of the 41st president George H. W. Bush, he ...
and vice president
Walter Mondale
Walter Frederick "Fritz" Mondale (January 5, 1928 – April 19, 2021) was an American lawyer and politician who served as the 42nd vice president of the United States from 1977 to 1981 under President Jimmy Carter. A U.S. senator from Minnesota ...
used this pronunciation.
[ Pinker, Steven. ''Pinker contra Nunberg re nuclear/nucular''. LanguageLog. http://languagelog.ldc.upenn.edu/nll/?p=730] In his 2005 book, ''Going Nucular'', linguist
Geoffrey Nunberg suggested that the presidents' reasons for their differing pronunciations may be distinct. Whereas Eisenhower's pronunciation most likely arose from his lack of familiarity (he first learned the word in mid-life), Bush's usage may represent a calculated effort to appeal to
populist sentiment, though Nunberg's theory here is rejected by fellow linguist
Steven Pinker.
This analysis is repeated in the second edition of Elster's ''Big Book of Beastly Mispronunciations''.
[
Oxford professor Marcus du Sautoy used this pronunciation in a BBC documentary, and ]Orson Welles
George Orson Welles (May 6, 1915 – October 10, 1985) was an American actor, director, producer, and screenwriter, known for his innovative work in film, radio and theatre. He is considered to be among the greatest and most influential f ...
said "nucular" while speaking at the 1982 "No Nukes" rally in Central Park
Central Park is an urban park in New York City located between the Upper West Side, Upper West and Upper East Sides of Manhattan. It is the List of New York City parks, fifth-largest park in the city, covering . It is the most visited urban par ...
.
The nuclear physicist
Nuclear physics is the field of physics that studies atomic nuclei and their constituents and interactions, in addition to the study of other forms of nuclear matter.
Nuclear physics should not be confused with atomic physics, which studies the ...
Edward Teller, "father" of the American hydrogen bomb
A thermonuclear weapon, fusion weapon or hydrogen bomb (H bomb) is a second-generation nuclear weapon design. Its greater sophistication affords it vastly greater destructive power than first-generation nuclear bombs, a more compact size, a lowe ...
, supposedly used nucular, and it does enjoy some tradition in the American nuclear-research establishment. However, in a 1965 interview on the ill-fated Project Plowshare
Project Plowshare was the overall United States program for the development of techniques to use nuclear explosives for peaceful construction purposes. The program was organized in June 1957 as part of the worldwide Atoms for Peace efforts. As ...
, Teller used the standard pronunciation.
In popular culture
In popular culture
Popular culture (also called mass culture or pop culture) is generally recognized by members of a society as a set of practices, beliefs, artistic output (also known as, popular art or mass art) and objects that are dominant or prevalent in a ...
, this pronunciation has often been used to signify inferiority, low intellect or foolishness.
In Woody Allen's 1989 film '' Crimes and Misdemeanors'', Mia Farrow's character says she could never fall for any man who says "nucular". The pronunciation was satirized in the 1996 science fiction film '' Mars Attacks!''. Later, the pronunciation was utilized earnestly by the titular character in ''Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull
''Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull'' is a 2008 American action-adventure film directed by Steven Spielberg and the fourth installment in the ''Indiana Jones'' series. Released and taking place 19 years after the previous ...
'' after Indiana survives an atomic bomb test by crawling inside a lead-lined refrigerator.
In '' Madagascar 3: Europe's Most Wanted'', Skipper corrects Gloria's standard pronunciation of the word "nuclear" to "nucular".
In Don Delillo's 1997 novel ''Underworld'', Marvin mentions nuclear weapons and it is said "He pronounced it nucular".
Homer Simpson
Homer Jay Simpson is a fictional character and the main protagonist of the American animated sitcom ''The Simpsons''. He is voiced by Dan Castellaneta and first appeared, along with the rest of his family, in ''The Tracey Ullman Show'' short "G ...
(a nuclear power plant employee) of the popular American animated TV series ''The Simpsons
''The Simpsons'' is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series is a satirical depiction of American life, epitomized by the Simpson family, which consists of Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa, ...
'' and Peter Griffin
Peter Löwenbräu Griffin, born Justin Peter Griffin, is a fictional character and the main protagonist of the American animated sitcom ''Family Guy''. He is voiced by the series' creator, Seth MacFarlane, and first appeared on television, alon ...
of the animated comedy series ''Family Guy
''Family Guy'' is an American animated sitcom originally conceived and created by Seth MacFarlane for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The show centers around the Griffin family, Griffins, a dysfunctional family consisting of parents Peter Griff ...
'' both pronounce nuclear this way (in these episodes, Homer Simpson and Peter Griffin both "correct" someone else's correct pronunciation of the word).
In '' Get Smart'', the President, in a clear parody of George W. Bush
George Walker Bush (born July 6, 1946) is an American politician who served as the 43rd president of the United States from 2001 to 2009. A member of the Republican Party, Bush family, and son of the 41st president George H. W. Bush, he ...
, says "nucular", only for the exasperated Chief of CONTROL to loudly correct him.
Motivation
Steven Pinker has proposed a phonotactic explanation for the conversion of ''nuclear'' to ''nucular'': the unusual and disfavored sequence is gradually transformed to a more acceptable configuration via metathesis. However, Arnold Zwicky
Arnold M. Zwicky (born September 6, 1940) is a perennial visiting professor of linguistics at Stanford University, and Distinguished University Professor Emeritus of linguistics at the Ohio State University.
Early life and education
Zwicky was b ...
notes that 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
Nuke is most commonly used as a slang term for a nuclear weapon, or the act of detonating/setting one off.
Nuke may also refer to:
Computing
* Nuke (software), a node-based compositor
* Nuke (video games), a type of damaging attack that is mos ...
'' 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 may be a deliberate choice. He suggests that the reasons for this choice are to assert authority or to sound folksy.
See also
* Bushism
Bushisms are unconventional statements, phrases, pronunciations, possible Freudian slips, malapropisms, as well as semantic or linguistic errors in the public speaking of former President of the United States George W. Bush. The term ''Bushism'' ...
* Political gaffe
A political gaffe is an error in speech made by a politician.
Definition
According to Barack Obama it is:
used by the press to describe any maladroit phrase by a candidate that reveals ignorance, carelessness, fuzzy thinking, insensitivity, m ...
References
{{reflist
English words and phrases
Nuclear energy