I am a Kiwi (New Zealander) and have discussed this word before and been told I am wrong, but to me it is nuke-u-lar. Then again I say Wensday, Li-bry and Nu Zilund.
Surely accents have some impact on words? Bush may be a dumb arse (IS!) but his pronounciation (Pro-NOUN-ci-ation or Pro-nun-ci-ation) is not the proof. HE may pronounce the word incorrectly to many Americans but many Americans pronounce Aliminium wrong 
Bush just needs to move to a place where his accent is right. Not Nu Zillund 
I don’t think the NZ accent, or any accent, has a great bearing on how “nu-klee-ar” is said, which is how I’ve always said it. I think it’s more an individual thing.
Very recently on this board, someone posted “and her” followed by a verb. Now, that’s awkward grammar!
BTW, I say “awkward grammar” in my posting above because the individuals I’ve heard use “~ and her + [verb]” never use the accusative pronoun in the subject position. Now, if one really wants to delve into a language peculiarity in English, one could as why “between you and I” & “give it to John and I” are so commonly used.
I knew I had slagged of Kiwis about this before! I (just me, not all Kiwis) say nuke-u-lar. I apologise to all Kiwis who say THAT word “correctly”.
I still say li-bry and jandalls though 
I don’t know much in particular about New Zealand accents, except that to my ears you basically sound like some odd flavor of Australian. My impression is that “libry”, with only two syllables, would be the ordinary way to pronounce that word (even if we Merkins do maintain all three of them.) Is that a stigmatized pronunciation in New Zealand? I’m fairly sure it’s not in England or Australia.
Americans are not limited to just one “prestige dialect” and, therefore, not one standard dialect.
Ok, but what’s the name for “accepted TV dialect”? In the UK it’s called “BBC English”. In the US, I’ve heard that commentators gravitate towards a midwest accent.
Full disclosure of bias: I guess I’m arguing against the extreme descriptionist position, possibly a strawman. (Fuller disclosure: I’ve been “familiar” with these linguistic terms for, oh, about 17 hours now). Surely there are perceptions of correct and incorrect English which ought to be taken into account by the canny communicator.
Surely so: I call it bourgeoinics, which makes people cringe, which I’m just fine by. 
If you’re applying for a job as an editor at a medical journal, you’d best not go into the meeting all like, “I ain’t afraid of hard work, motherfucker!” That’s not using the right language for the interview.
On the other hand, if you’re applying to run security detail at a rock show, going in and saying, “Sir, I think you’ll discover on careful perusal of my record of employment that it is free of blemishes, and that furthermore I have achieved the apotheosis of security-oriented labor in my past endeavors in the field” is likelier to get your ass kicked than it is to earn you a job. That’s not using the right language, either.
Most people use language to communicate, and they communicate on several levels with their language. The thoughts to which their words refer comprise one level of communication; the socioeconomic level at which the words are typically used comprises another level. If you are trying to communicate effectively, but you use language that you know will cause your audience to form an incorrect conclusion, you have failed in your effort.
Therefore, if you know that your audience will think you’re an idiot if you say, “Nukular,” and you don’t want your audience to think that, you’re best off not saying “nukular.”
That’s a far cry from saying that “nukular” is objectively wrong.
Daniel
Right. Choice of register is not a simple matter (but then, nothing in sociolinguistics is.) The examples given in this thread of being perceived badly for speaking with an informal or nonstandard dialect apply equally in reverse. There’s lots of situations in which using too lofty a register is liable to get you perceived as stuck up or not one of the guys or whatever (exactly the phenomenon being discussed when the president’s [del]fake[/del] recently-acquired Texan accent is brought up.)
In the U.S., we have a long history of opposition to elitism or even just plain intellectualism. That’s a general feature of American culture and has been for a long time, and it’s worth pointing out that even in a cover letter or a job interview for a management position Americans tend to avoid being too formal or (what they perceive as) “too correct”.
So especially in the context of the U.S., it’s silly to particularly point out the prestige dialect as “correct”, since sounding too formal is just as likely to be a social faux pas as sounding too informal or using too many regionalisms. We simply don’t trust people who use the prestige dialect too well. So it’s silly to act as though it’s a great danger to allow ourselves to use the less prestigious variant. Establishing the informal relationships that career success is built on is not easy if you can’t talk like everyone else.
I am in agreement with LHOD’s post.
Right you are! That is known as the “broadcast standard dialect” or by some similar name. From what I was taught, the broadcasting schools of the first part of the Twentieth Century were located in the Midwest and so that became the standard.
I have amused myself with thinking of what broadcasts would have sounded like today if these schools had been located in northern Mississippi and news anchors had spoken like the late historian Shelby Foote. (Bad news would have been delivered with a father’s reassuring gentleness and call for courage.)
I am not up on current trends in broadcasting and I don’t know if other dialects are being encouraged and accepted now or not.
Who would have dreamed that Edward R. Murrow was a farm boy from North Carolina?
Excalibre
…and right up to the present day. Just look at our own “Commandable In Chief”.
I was in sync with you until this last sentence (LHOD: you’re developing a fan base!)
IMO, the allegation, “Nukular is an incorrect way to pronounce nuclear”, is a meaningful statement.
I’m honestly not sure whether it’s true though. But I have test. Appoint a usage panel consisting of military types, some of whom pronounce it “nukular”. Bring along a couple of dictionaries.
Then ask, “Is the correct pronounciation, nuclear or nukular or are they both correct?”
I can imagine a number of responses.
“No, actually the dictionary is wrong: people say nukular all the time.”
or
(Sheepishly), “Yeah, I mispronounce that word a lot. So do my friends. What can you do?”
If most of the panel takes the 2nd position, then IM-really-should-be-HO, “nukular” is officially incorrect, albeit a common error.
Hopefully, we can finalize this, irregardless of whether it literally makes my blood boil.
First of all, a “uage panel of military types” won’t speak for me, nor the vast majority of Americans.
Next- they wouldn’t say "“No, actually the dictionary is wrong: people say nukular all the time.” becuase- AS WE HAVE BEEN SAYING HERE FOR FOUR PAGES- the dictionary says both are ok, thus “the dictionary” is not wrong.
How many times do we have to say it “nukular is *not *a mispronuciation”. You don’t like it- well, that’s OK. Then don’t use it.
Finally, that is about what the better and large dictionaries DO (except that they bring in a cross section of all Americans, consult media clips, and so forth), and that is why both pronunciations are listed.
Some words just have a couple different usages. You not liking that won’t change it.
Not responding to anyone in particular, but I would not categorize “NEWK-YOU-LAR” as a mispronunciation. I put it in the same category as “JOO-LA-REE” “REE-LA-TEE” and “FOILAGE”. Calling a “faux pas” a “fox pass” is a mispronunciation. Saying “NEWK-YOU-LAR” is just wrong.
Yes, maybe this is all anal-retentive, obsessive-compulsive nitpicking but shouldn’t we start getting a little particular about such things? Would you want a doctor who tells you that he has done extensive research at the “Cradio-Plumonary Institute” and your heart operation will go just fine and there’s nothing for you to worry about?
Did you actually read the thread at all? I mean, you know how to write, so I assume you can read. Is it just that you didn’t understand the big words we were using? Because you probably think you’re making some kind of point here, but if you had read the thread, you’d realize you aren’t.
Hey slow down there Excablier
Wow, I just thought I’d offer an opinion. If nothing else, even if I am mentally defective, I do pay my subscription fee to the DSMB so I think I have a right to speak. (Mods - if I have violated some board rule, by all means, send your “hit squad” after me to teach me some manners).
I must apologize to the Lord God Excablier. I had forgotten that you are truly the heir apparent to the throne of Cecil Adams.
By the way, do you know how many postings you made in this thread? You have made TWENTY !!! Well, I can see you’ve been very busy. Admittedly, some of your posts have been shall we say verbose? Pardon me for not reading and comprehending every word of your posts. That is a shame because I know that each one of your words must be regarded as golden nuggets of incalculable wisdom. Forgive this Phillistine for disregarding the Holy Truth of Excablier.
Heck, I even read your posting #66 in which you told me
Well, in future postings, I will have to keep in mind the limitations of my ape’s brain and think twice … nay even thrice … before clicking the submit reply button.
And Excablier this is ONLY the DSMB - it is NOT real life. Sorry for offending your delicate intellectual sensibilities.
Excablier = :wally
You thunk wrong, unfortunately. What you offered is a belief, not an opinion, and it’s a belief wholly without evidence, akin to my saying, “People who make biscuits with yeast are making them wrong!” The only objective standard by which “correctness” of pronunciation can be measured is whether the audience will understand the word as it’s spoken, and objectively speaking, the audience will understand the word “newkular” as it’s spoken.
Your “opinion” is an ignorant one, and for you to offer it without having read the thread demonstrates that you’ve got no interest in fighting your own ignorance. And that’s just wrong.
Daniel
So, wolf_meister: What’s the correct pronunciation of either? Before you answer that, be sure to explain your understanding of the term free variation.
You’d think that either you would have noticed, then, that whatever point you think you were making was already addressed earlier in the thread. If it’s such an onerous task to read the thread, I recommend you not reply. Replying without reading the thread in question generally makes you look like an idiot. The fact that you know nothing about the subject matter but feel free to offer your moronic opinion makes you look even more like an idiot.