Time for my annual "there's-only-one-U-in-nuptial" rant

[panache45]

It's not pronounced "nup-choo-ul," it's pronounced "nup-sh'l." One "U."

Do you say "par-choo-ul" for partial?

Do you say "ee-sen-choo-ul" for essential?

Where in hell did that secound "U" come from?

[OneCentStamp]

And here I thought it was going to be some faux-clever wordplay along the lines of "no I in team."

People who pronounce it nuptual are the same kind of people who say nucular.

[tdn]

Originally Posted by panache45

Do you say "ee-sen-choo-ul" for essential?

I will from now on.

[glee]

Originally Posted by OneCentStamp

And here I thought it was going to be some faux-clever wordplay along the lines of "no I in team."

Me too.

Vulgar English football fans chant "There's only one F in Fulham!"

[panache45]

Originally Posted by OneCentStamp

People who pronounce it nuptual are the same kind of people who say nucular.

I wish it were limited to them. But I hear virtually everyone pronounce it with the second "u" (and no, that doesn't make it right).

[Only Mostly Dead]

Originally Posted by OneCentStamp

And here I thought it was going to be some faux-clever wordplay along the lines of "no I in team."

People who pronounce it nuptual are the same kind of people who say nucular.

I too was expecting a rant against some bridezilla playing off "no I in team."



And I'll admit that I have always pronounced it more as "nup-chu-uhl" than "nup-shul". My justification is that I didn't experience the word in print until I was an older child, after I had heard it pronounced (incorrectly) dozens of times in my life. Even now, I probably read it only once for every ten or twenty times I hear it (often incorrectly). So, this is deep in the gray matter, whether I like it or not.

But I do NOT say nucular.

[Sattua]

(experiments with pronunciation) Nup-ti-al... nup-tial... nup...

No, you see, you're going from the high-front vowel to the low-back vowel, and unless one is being uber-uptight about it, that vowel gets stuck halfway between at the schwa.

As usual, no respect for people who complain about pronunciation.

Now, spelling on the other hand, that's a rant I can get behind.

[Jamaika a jamaikaiaké]

Originally Posted by panache45

I wish it were limited to them. But I hear virtually everyone pronounce it with the second "u" (and no, that doesn't make it right).

Yes it does.

[panache45]

Originally Posted by Jamaika a jamaikaiaké

Yes it does.

Well, ok, maybe in Jersey.

[Jamaika a jamaikaiaké]

Originally Posted by panache45

Well, ok, maybe in Jersey.

Look, I've only lived in Jersey for 4.5 years. Before that it was Chicago, Budapest and Indiana. I don't understand why people think Jersey is some magical, bizarro-world just because you can't pump your own gas here.


Really, though, if virtually everyone you hear pronounces something a certain way, then that is the correct pronunciation. What other measure of correctness is there? How it is spelled? How it used to be pronounced? How you would like people to pronounce it? I don't buy any of these.

[congodwarf]

Originally Posted by Only Mostly Dead

My justification is that I didn't experience the word in print until I was an older child, after I had heard it pronounced (incorrectly) dozens of times in my life.

I think OMD has got something here. I read a lot. I will read just about anything. But I think I can honestly say that I have seen this word written, probably less than 20 times in my life. It's just not one of those words which comes up often. It certainley never came up on a vocabulary or spelling test. I learned the word and it's pronounciation from my elders (a group of people recognized countrywide and possibly worldwide, for being incapable of pronouncing the most simple words - like Car). So, I'm not surprised that I learned the incorrect pronounciation.

Actually, until about 5 minutes ago, I wasn't even sure how to spell the damn word. Since it doesn't come up much in my unmarried life, I didn't give enough of a damn to look it up.

I have not and will never say nucular though. Or foilage (unless I'm being a dork on purpose).

[Dr. Rieux]

Dood, don't have a nucular meltdown about it.

[Manatee]

Yeah, chill out. Go to the liberry or something.

[Shecky]

And, taken from another board I frequent:

There is no I in T-E-A-M
There's also no I in Felony Assault and Battery

[Crotalus]

As others have noted, this is not a word that most of us hear or see often. I have heard it pronounced in the way that offends the OP so consistently that I was surprised to see the correct spelling.

[Sonia Montdore]

Originally Posted by OneCentStamp

People who pronounce it nuptual are the same kind of people who say nucular.

The same folks pronounce "erudite" as "er-ie-u-dite." It's got three syllables, not four. Drives me up the wall when people insert that extraneous "ie" sound.

[Thudlow Boink]

Originally Posted by Sonia Montdore

The same folks pronounce "erudite" as "er-ie-u-dite." It's got three syllables, not four. Drives me up the wall when people insert that extraneous "ie" sound.

They're probably the same ones who insert that same extraneous "ie" into "mischievous."

[Trunk]

I loves me some schwa.

[shamrock227]

I think someone has had too much expresso this morning.

[Biffy the Elephant Shrew]

Still taking longer than we thought.

[Quiddity Glomfuster]

Well but our friends at Dictionary Com tell us that the 'mutual' pronunciation is 'not standard' but not illegal. I think it came from stretching out the chi sound to sshhhiii which lazily modulated to shu.

At any rate, it doesn't bother me nearly as much as the 'tata' syndrome; adding more 'ta's into words like orient ('orientate' - AUGH) or turning nouns into verbs: 'let's action that'. Not to mention people who have utterly lost the ability to spell 'lose' 'peek', and 'pique'.

And then theres the total misuse of apostrophes and contractions and let's not forget .....

[Starving Artist]

You know, I was talking to my realator about this just last week...

[Kimstu]

Is that the local realator who used to be a famous college athalete?

[Starving Artist]

Yes, it is, as a matter of fact; we were at the laundomat where he was doing his warsh.

[According to Pliny]

Originally Posted by panache45

It's not pronounced "nup-choo-ul," it's pronounced "nup-sh'l." One "U."

One man's rant is another man's edification.
I've said it wrong forever. Guess I should stop knocking Bush for nuculur? Nah.

[Dr. Rieux]

Originally Posted by Kimstu

Is that the local realator who used to be a famous college athalete?

Does his wife wear alot of jewellery?

[CanvasShoes]

I thought it was going to be about Bridzillas.

[Thudlow Boink]

Originally Posted by Trunk

I loves me some schwa.

It's a schwa word after all
It's a schwa word after all...

[Phantom Dennis]

Oh man, I never knew. I thought I was a pretty smart guy too, but I guess this calls all that into question.

Well, I'm off to go flagellate myself with the old cat-o'-nine-tails. A thousand lashes should cover it, right? I'll post again in a few days when I recover.

Nuptial, nuptial, nuptial, nuptial...

[Frylock]

You say we're all pronouncing it wrong.

I say everyone's spelling it wrong.

-FrL-

[Harriet the Spry]

So I was the only one expecting an anti-polygamy rant?