# Hey fuckface, it's pronounced NOO-klee-ar, NOO-klee-ar **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [June 17, 2005, 5:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hey-fuckface-its-pronounced-noo-klee-ar-noo-klee-ar/308659 "2005-06-17T05:26:53Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Cat\_Jones](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/96bed5/32.png) [@Cat\_Jones](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Jones)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2005, 11:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hey-fuckface-its-pronounced-noo-klee-ar-noo-klee-ar/308659/41 "2005-06-17T11:58:01Z")
> [@](#): > > because _they’re_ actually changing grammar based on nothing more than phonology, and\* their\* doing it in writing. Italics mine **Guizot** please tell me that this is post ironic humour to ilustrate your point ? ---
**Author:** ![Hamadryad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/6de8d8/32.png) [@Hamadryad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hamadryad)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2005, 12:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hey-fuckface-its-pronounced-noo-klee-ar-noo-klee-ar/308659/42 "2005-06-17T12:01:45Z")
> [@dnooman](#): > > New rule: if you are caught saying “NOO-kyu-lar”, “LY-barry”, or “chi-POL-tay burritos”, your healthcare benefits are revoked for life. Let’s just hope you haven’t reproduced yet. Seeing as how I have only seen the word “chipotle” in frint five or six times, and I’ve NEVER had occasion to try to SAY it…I might recommend waiting to drop the hammer on that one until it’s in as common use as “nuclear” and “library.” I’d like to throw in my $.08 for “mischievous.” It’s MISS-chiv-us, not miss-CHEE-vee-us. Mischievous NOT Mischievious THANK YOU. ---
**Author:** ![Trunk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/87869e/32.png) [@Trunk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trunk)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2005, 12:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hey-fuckface-its-pronounced-noo-klee-ar-noo-klee-ar/308659/43 "2005-06-17T12:49:36Z")
> [@dnooman](#): > > Grammar nazi? Like someone who gets pissed when you should have said whom and you said who? I guess grade-school level pronunciation enforcement is a bit elitist. > > You’re right though, people who accomplish things worth caring about never sweat the small stuff, like speaking correctly. > > I bet I could name 50 people that have made a real difference in the world that lacked basic linguistic skills. I seem to be drawing a blank though. Maybe you could start me off with the top 25 poorly worded, or mis-spelled pieces of wisdom that our worthy predecessors have left us to contemplate. If I recall the Will Safire column about “nucular” correctly, Jimmy Carter, and I believe Lyndon Johnson both said “nucular”. It has very little to do with actual intelligence, but is more related to certain linguistic issues. It was hashed out a bit in the thread that Liberal linked to. Here’s some explanation of why people do it. . . [http://itre.cis.upenn.edu/~myl/languagelog/archives/001999.html](http://itre.cis.upenn.edu/~myl/languagelog/archives/001999.html) ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2005, 1:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hey-fuckface-its-pronounced-noo-klee-ar-noo-klee-ar/308659/44 "2005-06-17T13:06:42Z")
> [@Trunk](#): > > If I recall the Will Safire column about “nucular” correctly, Jimmy Carter, and I believe Lyndon Johnson both said “nucular”. > > It has very little to do with actual intelligence, but is more related to certain linguistic issues. It was hashed out a bit in the thread that Liberal linked to. It may not be related to intelligence, but habitual mispronunciation of words like “nuclear” (not to mention other oddments like continually misspelling “their” as “thier” reflects a stubborn, willful carelessness and/or affectation that reflects poorly on the user. If you’re the Prez and heard on a global basis, get this right or risk being labeled a clueless hick. Appearances do count for something. And you’re all wrong. It’s pronounced “uh-tom-ick”. ---
**Author:** ![UncleBeer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/977dab/32.png) [@UncleBeer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UncleBeer)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2005, 1:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hey-fuckface-its-pronounced-noo-klee-ar-noo-klee-ar/308659/45 "2005-06-17T13:15:09Z")
> [@Reeder](#): > > Even I don’t bash duhbya for the way he speaks. [Liar](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=5641349&postcount=9). ---
**Author:** ![Ponder\_Stibbons](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ponder_stibbons/32/343_2.png) [@Ponder\_Stibbons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ponder_Stibbons)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2005, 1:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hey-fuckface-its-pronounced-noo-klee-ar-noo-klee-ar/308659/46 "2005-06-17T13:21:41Z")
> [@Liberal](#): > > … pronunciation isn’t necessarily tied to spelling, otherwise we’d pronounce “iron” as EYE-ron. Hey, _Bugs Bunny_ pronounces it that way. And if it’s good enough for Bugs, it’s good enough for me. ---
**Author:** ![Trunk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/87869e/32.png) [@Trunk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trunk)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2005, 1:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hey-fuckface-its-pronounced-noo-klee-ar-noo-klee-ar/308659/47 "2005-06-17T13:32:24Z")
> [@Jackmannii](#): > > It may not be related to intelligence, but habitual mispronunciation of words like “nuclear” (not to mention other oddments like continually misspelling “their” as “thier” reflects a stubborn, willful carelessness and/or affectation that reflects poorly on the user. Or it reflects that the listener doesn’t understand the real issues behind the mispronunciation. ---
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2005, 1:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hey-fuckface-its-pronounced-noo-klee-ar-noo-klee-ar/308659/48 "2005-06-17T13:38:22Z")
> [@UncleBeer](#): > > [Liar](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=5641349&postcount=9). Setting the bar a little low on the definition of “bashing”, aren’t you **Unc**? Even for Reeder, that was pretty tame. ---
**Author:** ![tomndebb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b9e5f3/32.png) [@tomndebb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tomndebb)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2005, 1:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hey-fuckface-its-pronounced-noo-klee-ar-noo-klee-ar/308659/49 "2005-06-17T13:38:58Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > My big fat Unabridged give no less than 3 pronounciations. Actually, it gives no fewer than three pronunciations. - ::: d & r ::: \* ---
**Author:** ![Bosstone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/22d042/32.png) [@Bosstone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosstone)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2005, 1:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hey-fuckface-its-pronounced-noo-klee-ar-noo-klee-ar/308659/50 "2005-06-17T13:52:19Z")
> [@Jackmannii](#): > > It may not be related to intelligence, but habitual mispronunciation of words like “nuclear” (not to mention other oddments like continually misspelling “their” as “thier” reflects a stubborn, willful carelessness and/or affectation that reflects poorly on the user. Not so. Spoken language affectations are pretty much locked in by the teenage years, and it can be very difficult to even realize you’re pronouncing a word differently from standard, much less change it. Someone, especially someone like Bush who is not an actor and not even that great of a public speaker, has enough trouble without trying to fix his own pronunciation. More than likely it’d come off as stilted and unnatural, which goes counter to his good ol’ boy image. Writing, on the other hand, is a taught thing, must be consciously done, and there is only one right way to spell a particular word. Not to mention that you can _see_ what you’ve written and proofread it before others see it, whereas once you’ve made a slip in speech, it’s out there and can’t be deleted. It’s incorrect to lump a regional pronunciation and a spelling error together as “willful carelessness.” I bet you anything Bush spells it “nuclear” despite how he pronounces it. (I’ll pass on the cheap shot here, as tempting as it is.) Of all the things Bush does to get worked up over, this rates the highest on my Mehometer. ---
**Author:** ![Uvula\_Donor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/e19adc/32.png) [@Uvula\_Donor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Uvula_Donor)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2005, 2:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hey-fuckface-its-pronounced-noo-klee-ar-noo-klee-ar/308659/51 "2005-06-17T14:06:04Z")
> [@BayleDomon](#): > > this rates the highest on my Mehometer. Do you pronounce that _MEH-oh-meet-er_ or _meh-AH-meh-ter_? ---
**Author:** ![Bosstone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/22d042/32.png) [@Bosstone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosstone)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2005, 2:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hey-fuckface-its-pronounced-noo-klee-ar-noo-klee-ar/308659/52 "2005-06-17T14:22:47Z")
> [@Uvula Donor](#): > > Do you pronounce that _MEH-oh-meet-er_ or _meh-AH-meh-ter_? Actually, I pronounce it Throatwarbler Mangrove. ---
**Author:** ![UncleBeer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/977dab/32.png) [@UncleBeer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UncleBeer)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2005, 2:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hey-fuckface-its-pronounced-noo-klee-ar-noo-klee-ar/308659/53 "2005-06-17T14:42:31Z")
> [@Fear Itself](#): > > Setting the bar a little low on the definition of “bashing”, aren’t you **Unc**? Even for Reeder, that was pretty tame. Mebbe I am; that just happened to be an example I could quickly locate. But, we’ve all seen Reeder’s limbo act; he’s “bashed” Bush any number of petty things. And I ain’t letting him off the hook for making false statements now. ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2005, 3:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hey-fuckface-its-pronounced-noo-klee-ar-noo-klee-ar/308659/54 "2005-06-17T15:01:33Z")
> [@BayleDomon](#): > > . It’s incorrect to lump a regional pronunciation and a spelling error together as “willful carelessness.” Lots of Southerners pronounce “nuclear” correctly. A bunch of Northerners go nukular. Once you know you’re making a mistake like this and have a world audience, continuing to make it says “I don’t give a rat’s ass how dumb I sound” and/or “It’s part of my regular guy charm.” On the other hand, the most accepted spelling of my username has only one “n”, so my glass house is a little vulnerable. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![CC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f1d935/32.png) [@CC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CC)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2005, 3:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hey-fuckface-its-pronounced-noo-klee-ar-noo-klee-ar/308659/55 "2005-06-17T15:10:48Z")
> [@BayleDomon](#): > > I bet you anything Bush spells it “nuclear” despite how he pronounces it. (I’ll pass on the cheap shot here, as tempting as it is.) I’m not sure what cheap shot you passed on, but for me, one of the problems of having Dubya in charge is that he SEEMS to be sort of dim. And one thing that gives that impression is the fact that he apparently spells or writes NOTHING. I imagine that his people are painfully aware of his inarticulateness (look at all the Bushisms that we’ve all heard and read), so that they script just about everything they can. And as for the man, himself, I do wonder if he can spell nuclear. In fact, in my view, folks who don’t think well can not speak well, nor can they write well. Language must be an expression of thought at some level, and for us to have a leader who appears to do neither is a shame. And if I agreed with his politics I’d still feel the same way. He’s not a terribly bright man, I’m convinced - partly on the basis of how he sounds. Yes, for some of us, it does reflect poorly on the man. xo, C. ---
**Author:** ![Bosstone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/22d042/32.png) [@Bosstone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosstone)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2005, 3:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hey-fuckface-its-pronounced-noo-klee-ar-noo-klee-ar/308659/56 "2005-06-17T15:25:49Z")
> [@Jackmannii](#): > > Lots of Southerners pronounce “nuclear” correctly. A bunch of Northerners go nukular. Once you know you’re making a mistake like this and have a world audience, continuing to make it says “I don’t give a rat’s ass how dumb I sound” and/or “It’s part of my regular guy charm.” > > On the other hand, the most accepted spelling of my username has only one “n”, so my glass house is a little vulnerable. 😃 Yes, but the fact that some people do and some people don’t doesn’t mean it can be turned on and off like a light switch. > [@CC](#): > > In fact, in my view, folks who don’t think well can not speak well, nor can they write well. I don’t know about that. I’m a terrible public speaker, but I like to think I’m adept at writing. I don’t have a high opinion of Bush myself, but I have to think he can at least _spell_ nuclear with enough concentration and maybe a handler coaching him beforehand. (Okay, so I couldn’t pass up the cheap shot in the end.) ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2005, 4:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hey-fuckface-its-pronounced-noo-klee-ar-noo-klee-ar/308659/57 "2005-06-17T16:11:15Z")
> [@Trunk](#): > > If I recall the Will Safire column about “nucular” correctly, Jimmy Carter, and I believe Lyndon Johnson both said “nucular”. Yeah, I remember it, too. He cited words like “muscular” as fitting the English pattern of sounds that leads people to say nu-kyu-lar. We also typically say lar-nix, not lar-inx for “larynx”. And, of course, I’ll ask the OP how he pronounces the day of the week from two days ago. You know, Wednesday. My skin crawls everytime I hear nu-kyu-lar, but it’s a common pronunciation, and we just have to learn to live with it. There are plenty of similarly mispronounced words that don’t bother anyone. ---
**Author:** ![bordelond](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bordelond/32/150_2.png) [@bordelond](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bordelond)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2005, 4:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hey-fuckface-its-pronounced-noo-klee-ar-noo-klee-ar/308659/58 "2005-06-17T16:11:30Z")
[Nothing wrong with pronouncing it “nucular”](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=170635), IMHO. See further past disussion in the link. ---
**Author:** ![guizot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guizot/32/3636_2.png) [@guizot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/guizot)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2005, 8:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hey-fuckface-its-pronounced-noo-klee-ar-noo-klee-ar/308659/59 "2005-06-17T20:09:27Z")
> [@Cat Jones](#): > > Italics mine > > **Guizot** please tell me that this is post ironic humour to ilustrate your point ? Okay. It’s post ironic humour…Is that better now? (Actually it’s just a styuupid error at 2:00am.) And what is “post ironic” again? ---
**Author:** ![guizot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guizot/32/3636_2.png) [@guizot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/guizot)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2005, 8:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hey-fuckface-its-pronounced-noo-klee-ar-noo-klee-ar/308659/60 "2005-06-17T20:32:21Z")
> [@Trunk](#): > > Here’s some explanation of why people do it. . . > > [Language Log: Axe a stupid question](http://itre.cis.upenn.edu/~myl/languagelog/archives/001999.html) Wow. I can’t believe it to see Nunberg actually talking about something other than lexicon. On the radio, all he does is drone on and on and on about the most obvious things of popular word choice. (“Tell us again, Geof: Why do we pull down our pants when we go to the bathroom? Is that so? You must really be a linguist.”) He makes a good point, though, that it’s probably not about metathesis. Maybe I _will_ read his book after all. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hey-fuckface-its-pronounced-noo-klee-ar-noo-klee-ar/308659.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hey-fuckface-its-pronounced-noo-klee-ar-noo-klee-ar/308659.md?page=4)