ADS-L had a discussion on this some years back, and I pointed out then that /nuky@l@r/ in place of /nukli@r/ probably reflects the fact that we have lots of words that end in /-ky@l@r/, like secular, particular, macular, etc. and very few end in /-ky@[log in to unmask] So the former pronunciation is chosen by analogy to the more common word ending. Herb -----Original Message----- From: Assembly for the Teaching of English Grammar [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Spruiell, William C Sent: 2008-02-06 16:46 To: [log in to unmask] Subject: Re: McCain, Obama, Clinton...Who has the best grammar? As a Southerner, I can rather confidently say two things about "nuclear": (1) The default pronunciation for a great many of us is "nyukyuler" (2) We *know* that's not the standard pronunciation. In other words, "nyukyuler" is rather like "libary"; it's not surprising to encounter it in some situations (home, speaking with friends, talking to people from the same area), but it is surprising to encounter it in others (press conferences directed at a national audience). It's always dangerous to think you know exactly why someone is making a particular linguistic choice (this is the linguist's equivalent of the literary critic's "intentional fallacy"). I obviously don't *know* why Bush does this, but of course I can't resist making hypotheses (biased ones, naturally). From a Southerner who worked in a Southern community and didn't have to deal frequently with a national audience, it would seem to be simply dialect on auto-pilot. From Bush II, it comes across to me as less a case of "not sounding intellectual" than of "being anti-intellectual" -- there's almost an aggressive, "I have power and can do this and there isn't jack you can do about it" sense to it. In other words, he can *too* talk back to his third-grade English teacher. So there! Bill Spruiell Dept. of English Central Michigan University [And of course, particularly in a political thread, my views should not be taken as indicative of those of my institution, my department, or probably rational people in general] -----Original Message----- From: Assembly for the Teaching of English Grammar [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Katz, Seth Sent: Wednesday, February 06, 2008 1:29 PM To: [log in to unmask] Subject: Re: McCain, Obama, Clinton...Who has the best grammar? On GW Bush saying "nucular" (as did Jimmy Carter--who was a nuclear engineer!): I have heard tell that in the televised Texas gubernatorial debates, Bush did not speak as he has for the past 8 years, but rather sounded much more like the articulate, Yale-educated, upper-class Northeasterner that he actually is. The folksy, aw-shucks, malapropistic Bush is a character that he and his handlers created to make him a more marketable candidate. Does anyone know if this is true: that Bush did not always speak publicly as he does now? BTW: I do not believe that Bill Clinton, George HW Bush, or Ronald Reagan said "nucular." Best-- Seth Dr. Seth Katz Assistant Professor Department of English Bradley University ________________________________ From: Assembly for the Teaching of English Grammar on behalf of Carol Morrison Sent: Wed 2/6/2008 11:57 AM To: [log in to unmask] Subject: Re: McCain, Obama, Clinton...Who has the best grammar? Yes, every time Bush says "nucular" it makes me cringe! Patricia Lafayllve <[log in to unmask]> wrote: Purely from a public speaking standpoint, all three do fairly well. McCain strives for an "everyman" approach, Clinton goes for "Powerful Woman" in her voice, and Obama is leaning toward an almost call-and-response flavor. I did hear Obama promise to pronounce the word "nuclear" as...well..."nuclear," which made me chuckle. -patty ________________________________ From: Assembly for the Teaching of English Grammar [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Carol Morrison Sent: Wednesday, February 06, 2008 10:18 AM To: [log in to unmask] Subject: McCain, Obama, Clinton...Who has the best grammar? I am curious to see which of the candidates has the best grammar and who is the most well-spoken. I will be listening attentively to upcoming speeches, interviews, and press conferences. It would be nice to have a president who has a strong command of the English language. That person will get my vote (maybe). Any favorites? CLM To join or leave this LISTSERV list, please visit the list's web interface at: http://listserv.muohio.edu/archives/ateg.html and select "Join or leave the list" Visit ATEG's web site at http://ateg.org/ ________________________________ Looking for last minute shopping deals? Find them fast with Yahoo! Search. <http://us.rd.yahoo.com/evt=51734/*http://tools.search.yahoo.com/newsear ch/category.php?category=shopping> To join or leave this LISTSERV list, please visit the list's web interface at: http://listserv.muohio.edu/archives/ateg.html and select "Join or leave the list" Visit ATEG's web site at http://ateg.org/ To join or leave this LISTSERV list, please visit the list's web interface at: http://listserv.muohio.edu/archives/ateg.html and select "Join or leave the list" Visit ATEG's web site at http://ateg.org/ To join or leave this LISTSERV list, please visit the list's web interface at: http://listserv.muohio.edu/archives/ateg.html and select "Join or leave the list" Visit ATEG's web site at http://ateg.org/ To join or leave this LISTSERV list, please visit the list's web interface at: http://listserv.muohio.edu/archives/ateg.html and select "Join or leave the list" Visit ATEG's web site at http://ateg.org/