# It's nucular, Lisa: NUCULAR **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [February 12, 2005, 1:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-nucular-lisa-nucular/289687 "2005-02-12T01:45:37Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![wolf\_meister](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolf_meister/32/15202_2.png) [@wolf\_meister](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolf_meister)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2005, 3:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-nucular-lisa-nucular/289687/41 "2005-02-13T03:04:48Z")
**Excalibre** How much “leeway” in pronunciation is acceptable? To me, saying “Nuke-You-Lar” for “nuclear” goes far beyond mispronunciation. It is saying something entirely wrong. (Dopers is there a term for this type of error?) If this is an acceptable pronunciation then I could make an equation whereby “Nuke-le-ar” = “Nuke-you-lar” Subtracting the “nukes” from both sides we get “le-ar” = “you-lar”. I read “ **King Yoular** ” in school - how about you? If I had the money, I’d like to buy a “ **Yoular** ” jet. And what’s the big deal about those those fancy “scientifical” words? You know things like “ **methyl alcohol** ” and “ **ethyl alcohol** ”? _Just one letter difference_. My God, how anal retentive do people want us to be? **Ignatz** it’s good to see someone else equally outraged by the trashing of the English language. ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2005, 5:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-nucular-lisa-nucular/289687/42 "2005-02-13T05:18:03Z")
> [@Excalibre](#): > > Yeah, I agree with Liberal. I’m awful damn tired of people going around claiming that one pronunciation of a word is “correct” while another is “wrong”. But if you go down that road, that means I could say “bubbanubba soopley cwaprety” and claim that’s the correct pronunciation of The Lords Prayer. Madness, I tells ye! ---
**Author:** ![wolf\_meister](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolf_meister/32/15202_2.png) [@wolf\_meister](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolf_meister)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2005, 7:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-nucular-lisa-nucular/289687/43 "2005-02-13T07:48:02Z")
**Guano Lad** PRE-cisely !!! Sure, why bother with the exact nature of language? Did the surgeon say “subdural” or “epidural”. Oh who cares ? The surgeon is just making that fancy schmantzy medical talk so he can feel superior to the rest of us. When I tell people I have multiple sclerosis they say “Oh yeah Jerry Lewis raises money for that on his telethon”. It’s easy to confuse the two - they _both_ have 2 words, they _both_ have 6 syllables and they _both_ begin with ‘mu’. (Don’t worry I am quite ambulatory - I just get tired a LOT. I didn’t bring that up for pity. It’s right on topic for this thread. Actually, I find it hilarious how often people think I have the other disease. LOL) As for “bubbanubba soopley cwaprety”, I’ll tell my boss hey those are my calculations for this Fiscal Quarter. Well at least that’s the way _I_ pronounce it. ---
**Author:** ![Liberal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/848f3c/32.png) [@Liberal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Liberal)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2005, 9:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-nucular-lisa-nucular/289687/44 "2005-02-13T09:10:56Z")
> [@GuanoLad](#): > > But if you go down that road, that means I could say “bubbanubba soopley cwaprety” and claim that’s the correct pronunciation of The Lords Prayer. Actually, that’s the opposite of what Excalibre said: you _can’t_ claim that it’s correct. ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2005, 9:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-nucular-lisa-nucular/289687/45 "2005-02-13T09:30:48Z")
> [@Liberal](#): > > Actually, that’s the opposite of what Excalibre said: you _can’t_ claim that it’s correct. Yeah, I realised afterward that i didn’t say what I actually meant. How ironic. I meant to say: But if you go down that road, that means I could say “bubbanubba soopley cwaprety” and claim that’s The Lords Prayer. ---
**Author:** ![Liberal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/848f3c/32.png) [@Liberal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Liberal)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2005, 10:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-nucular-lisa-nucular/289687/46 "2005-02-13T10:01:52Z")
“That’s not true. I misquoted myself.” — Charles Barkley 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Excalibre](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/898d66/32.png) [@Excalibre](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Excalibre)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2005, 10:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-nucular-lisa-nucular/289687/47 "2005-02-13T10:26:27Z")
> [@wolf\_meister](#): > > **Excalibre** > How much “leeway” in pronunciation is acceptable? > To me, saying “Nuke-You-Lar” for “nuclear” goes far beyond mispronunciation. It is saying something entirely wrong. > (Dopers is there a term for this type of error?) So what’s your justification for saying it’s incorrect? Why is it wrong? It’s a common pronunciation of the word. What makes a common pronunciation wrong? If there’s a “correct” and an “incorrect” in language, then there has to be some source for making that determination. The source I look to, and the source dictionary makers look to, and the source linguists look to, is usage. You know, that old bitch Norma Loquendi. The way people _actually talk_. What’s your source for right and wrong? > [@wolf\_meister](#): > > If this is an acceptable pronunciation then I could make an equation whereby > “Nuke-le-ar” = “Nuke-you-lar” > Subtracting the “nukes” from both sides we get > “le-ar” = “you-lar”. > I read “ **King Yoular** ” in school - how about you? > If I had the money, I’d like to buy a “ **Yoular** ” jet. What? /nuk/ isn’t a morpheme on its own. The word wasn’t formed from /nuk/ plus an ending - the slang term “nuke” is a backformation. I don’t see why you’d think you could just chop it off - or what point you’re trying to make. Really, I’m utterly puzzled as to what you could be trying to demonstrate here. (Furthermore, the ending on “nuclear”, in my dialect at least, is two syllables: /li @r/. Whereas the king depicted in the Bard’s greatest tragedy is just one: /lir/. I doubt that’s different in your dialect; I’ve certainly never heard either /nu klir/ or /kIN li @r/.) > [@wolf\_meister](#): > > And what’s the big deal about those those fancy “scientifical” words? You know things like “ **methyl alcohol** ” and “ **ethyl alcohol** ”? _Just one letter difference_. My God, how anal retentive do people want us to be? If you don’t understand the difference between technical language used for a very specific purpose, and _explicitly defined by a governing body_ (in this case IUPAC, who set up such things as naming rules for organics and systematic names that never get used - methanoic acid, anyone?) and the language used in the real world by most people, then this is going to be a difficult discussion. There’s no governing body defining English usage that you can appeal to here - but then, in some languages there is one. No one takes the Royal Spanish Academy seriously on usage issues either. Hell, chemists don’t even use the systematic names for things if they’re too used to the old ones. > [@wolf\_meister](#): > > **Ignatz** it’s good to see someone else equally outraged by the trashing of the English language. What I find distressing is that people seem to believe that my native language - the language of Chaucer, Shakespeare, Faulkner, Joyce, and William Carlos Williams, among others, is such a fragile, sickly creature that it’s in danger of dying when teenagers use slang terms or people from other parts of the country continue pronouncing things the way they have for fifty years. It’s the second-most widely spoken language on earth - you think /nu kju l@r/ is gonna kill it? Is English really so weak and bereft of power that it won’t survive what you mistakenly call incorrect usage? > [@Liberal](#): > > > [@GuanoLad](#): > > > > But if you go down that road, that means I could say “bubbanubba soopley cwaprety” and claim that’s the correct pronunciation of The Lords Prayer. > > > > Madness, I tells ye! > > Actually, that’s the opposite of what Excalibre said: you _can’t_ claim that it’s correct. Thank you, Liberal. GuanoLad, if you had bothered to read my previous post, you would have noticed that I consider the only definition of “correctness” to be common usage. If you claimed that “bubbanubba soopley cwaprety” was the Lord’s Prayer, you’d be the only one doing so. It wouldn’t be a valid claim, because if English speakers don’t do it, it’s not English. It’s the way normal people speak that counts. I mean, don’t get me wrong. If you can find a real justification for /nu kli @r/ being correct and /nu kju l@r/ being wrong, I’ll listen. But if it’s based on an appeal to past pronuncation, I’ll laugh, because the pronunciation of words changes all the time. If it’s based on some sense that /nu kli @r/ is closer to the root word (/nu kli @s/), then I’d point out how many words have radically different pronunciations from their roots. So far, though, you guys haven’t done any of that. I mean, look at your posts responding to my first one. You haven’t come up with a single justification for deciding that /nu kli @r/ is the correct pronunciation. What authority determines it? What mechanism can we use to distinguish correct and incorrect speech? Who sets the rules, and why should anyone listen to them? You’ve taken it for granted that one is “correct” and the other is somehow “trashing” the English language. Why is the way you happen to pronounce it correct? As has been pointed out, former president Jimmy Carter was an engineer who worked on nuclear engines - he pronounced it the “incorrect” way. Why shouldn’t I believe him? Not only was he president (what higher authority can you ask for?) but also he no doubt new a damn lot more about them and worked a damn lot closer to them than you or I. Wouldn’t it be logical, in light of that fact, to acknowledge Carter’s pronunciation as correct? Tell me how we decide what’s correct and what’s not, and we can talk. Otherwise, you’re blowing smoke just like folks who insist that only the style of music they listen to is worthwhile, or that you really should convert to their religion. ---
**Author:** ![TheLoadedDog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/35a633/32.png) [@TheLoadedDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TheLoadedDog)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2005, 10:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-nucular-lisa-nucular/289687/48 "2005-02-13T10:46:29Z")
Bush pronounces _nuclear_ the “wrong” way. LET’S PIT HIM! Bush pronounces _nuclear_ the “right” way. LET’S PIT HIM! Bush finds out he’s been pronouncing it the wrong way, but refuses to change. LET’S PIT HIM! Bush finds out he’s been pronouncing it the wrong way, and starts pronouncing it the right way. LET’S PIT HIM! Aaaah yes. It’s good here, isn’t it? Fighting inggerince, an’ all that… ---
**Author:** ![Ice\_Wolf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/dfb087/32.png) [@Ice\_Wolf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ice_Wolf)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2005, 10:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-nucular-lisa-nucular/289687/49 "2005-02-13T10:52:35Z")
I actually agree with the conservative Aussie. Who cares how Bush pronounces the damn word, as long as no red button gets pushed? Sheesh. ---
**Author:** ![calm\_kiwi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9fc348/32.png) [@calm\_kiwi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/calm_kiwi)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2005, 11:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-nucular-lisa-nucular/289687/50 "2005-02-13T11:06:22Z")
> [@TheLoadedDog](#): > > Bush pronounces _nuclear_ the “wrong” way. > > LET’S PIT HIM! > > Bush pronounces _nuclear_ the “right” way. > > LET’S PIT HIM! > > Bush finds out he’s been pronouncing it the wrong way, but refuses to change. > > LET’S PIT HIM! > > Bush finds out he’s been pronouncing it the wrong way, and starts pronouncing it the right way. > > LET’S PIT HIM! > Aaaah yes. It’s good here, isn’t it? Fighting inggerince, an’ all that… Fair suck of the sav Mayyte. 😉 Last time I chimed in on this **Ice** reminded me I talk funny. I am sitting here saying “Nu-clear, Nu-clear-a, Nuke-ku-lah, Nuke-you-la” trying to remember how I actually say it. Nuke-you-la won. I loathe that Shrub person with a passion but if he is to be convicted on pro-noun-ci-a-tion/pro-nun-ci-a-tion alone, then I have to burn with him and that is hardly fair. I never invaded anywhere. ---
**Author:** ![TheLoadedDog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/35a633/32.png) [@TheLoadedDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TheLoadedDog)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2005, 11:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-nucular-lisa-nucular/289687/51 "2005-02-13T11:10:10Z")
😃 Actually the Kiwification of the Sydney accent continues apace. ---
**Author:** ![calm\_kiwi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9fc348/32.png) [@calm\_kiwi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/calm_kiwi)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2005, 11:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-nucular-lisa-nucular/289687/52 "2005-02-13T11:16:00Z")
It is an evil ,yet effective plan. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Ice\_Wolf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/dfb087/32.png) [@Ice\_Wolf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ice_Wolf)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2005, 11:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-nucular-lisa-nucular/289687/53 "2005-02-13T11:20:12Z")
I can’t even remember when I said you’d talked funny, **calm kiwi**. Kinda scary thinking them Sydneysiders might start soundin’ like someone who sips a cappucino on Ponsonby Road, mind. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Ice\_Wolf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/dfb087/32.png) [@Ice\_Wolf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ice_Wolf)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2005, 11:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-nucular-lisa-nucular/289687/54 "2005-02-13T11:22:24Z")
Folks, who th’ merry hell is this “Lisa” in the OP title? I could take personal umbrage at that, I could. Humph! ---
**Author:** ![TheLoadedDog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/35a633/32.png) [@TheLoadedDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TheLoadedDog)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2005, 11:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-nucular-lisa-nucular/289687/55 "2005-02-13T11:24:12Z")
It’s a _Simpsons_ reference. Lisa simpson says “nuclear”, and her mother corrects her, “nu-cu-lar”. ---
**Author:** ![Ice\_Wolf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/dfb087/32.png) [@Ice\_Wolf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ice_Wolf)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2005, 11:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-nucular-lisa-nucular/289687/56 "2005-02-13T11:25:43Z")
Ah, cool. Thanks, **TLD**. That has been bugging me all day, tryin’ t’ work it out. Ta muchly. ---
**Author:** ![calm\_kiwi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9fc348/32.png) [@calm\_kiwi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/calm_kiwi)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2005, 11:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-nucular-lisa-nucular/289687/57 "2005-02-13T11:37:00Z")
> [@Ice Wolf](#): > > I can’t even remember when I said you’d talked funny, **calm kiwi**. Kinda scary thinking them Sydneysiders might start soundin’ like someone who sips a cappucino on Ponsonby Road, mind. 🙂 Well you didn’t exactly say _I_ talked funny…I just confessed that I pronounced it Nuke-you-la and implied it was normal here. You corrected me. 🙂 I can’t remember the last time I sipped a cappachino on Ponsonby road. I’m far too fond of long blacks and the shore for that. 🙂 We should do that meet in the middle-of-town thing oneday. ---
**Author:** ![Khadaji](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Khadaji](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Khadaji)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2005, 2:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-nucular-lisa-nucular/289687/58 "2005-02-13T14:10:17Z")
It is a common phenomenon that occurs when some combiniation of letters that are hard to pronounce appear in a word. Other common examples are Library, February and my favorite - because it is now considered the correct pronunciation - iron. No one I know says I-RON (OK, some dorks in college did.) Get over it already. ---
**Author:** ![Revtim](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/revtim/32/1042_2.png) [@Revtim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Revtim)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2005, 2:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-nucular-lisa-nucular/289687/59 "2005-02-13T14:39:53Z")
> [@TheLoadedDog](#): > > It’s a _Simpsons_ reference. Lisa simpson says “nuclear”, and her mother corrects her, “nu-cu-lar”. Wasn’t it Homer correcting Lisa? ---
**Author:** ![DanBlather](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/f4b2a3/32.png) [@DanBlather](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DanBlather)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2005, 5:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-nucular-lisa-nucular/289687/60 "2005-02-13T17:25:51Z")
> [@Brutus](#): > > Boston, eh? Good chowda out there. I was in Warshington last summer, and the idear popped into my mind to go visit Boston, but I ended up in Nooyaaahk instead. (Tickets were much cheaper!) > > P.S. Bostonians have long since gang-raped and left for dead the English language. Various peoples may or may not have the moral authority to critique pronounciations and whatnot; Bostonians are not among them. Yes, things went to hell when the Pilgrims moved to Boston from Ohio. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-nucular-lisa-nucular/289687.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-nucular-lisa-nucular/289687.md?page=4)