Why is 'nuclear' so often mispronounced 'new-killer'?

Question

Is it because nuclear weapons were once a world-changing 'new killing' device?

Answer 1

First, I don't believe anyone says "new-killer". Rather, they say "nucular" /NU-kya-ler/, sounding the same as the end of "muscular".

Next, notice that there are many intelligent, educated people who have pronounced the word this way, including THREE Presidents in recent times --not just GW but Carter & Eisenhower. It's a bit odd that none of the chattering class ever has made much of Carter's pronunciation, esp. when during his time in the navy he had worked in the design and development of NUCLEAR propulsion plants!).


As for WHY people do so --

This sort of re-ordering of the sounds of a word --called "metathesis"-- is very common in language. It may come about by confusion, but often it happens simply because the expected form is more difficult to pronounce. If, for instance, there are no other words (or common words) with a particular sound pattern, but there ARE words with the 'reversed' pattern (as "muscular" in this case), it is not unusual for the word to end up being pronounced with the common/familiar English sound pattern.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metathesis_(linguistics)


Is it "correct" (or acceptable)?

In some cases the change is considered ignorant or at least non-standard, in other instances it is the (or a) ACCEPTED pronounciation.

Examples in English:
1) incorrect/nonstandard:
"nuclear"
"ax" for "ask" (though actually BOTH forms are found in the Middle English of Chaucer!)

2) correct:
"iron" -- pronounced "i-urn" In fact, does ANYONE say "i-ron"? On the other hand, we DO keep the sounds in their written order in the suffixed form "ironic". (We do the same with "irony", though it's acceptable, or at least permitted, to say "i-urnee" --as we do with "ironing". Thus, the most important factor seems to be where the word is ACCENTED.)

3) debated but probably correct/acceptable
"Comfortable" pronounced "comfturble". There are two conflicting "laws" at work here. In our spelling, we do not change the base when we add the suffix "able". But in our speech, the change in the PHONOLOGY (sound pattern) pushes us to SAY the word in a way that is much easier to pronounce.

Here's how it happens. Note that the syllable in question --"fort"-- has a slight accent in "comfort" but almost NO accent when we add the "able" suffix. In English, adding suffixes frequently shifts or reduces accent of certain syllables. When a syllable loses accent, the vowel typically is shortened; in an UN-accented syllable it may end up as the 'swallowed', unaccented "schwa" sound, or even completely disappear. But this leaves us with the unaccented combination "frt" which is more difficult or at least less natural to pronounce. The natural solution is to simplify the pronounciation, either by skipping the "r" sound (which leads some to say "comf'-tubly") or to reverse sounds ("metathesis") and say "comf'turbly".

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Incidentally, this process or metathesis explains the origins of some modern English words. Old English had "brid", now it is "bird"; Old English "thridde" (keeping the order of "three", cf. "tri") became modern "third", OE "hros" gave way to "horse".
http://sps.k12.mo.us/khs/linguistics/lingtrms.htm#M

Answer 2

because our idiot son of an a55hole president can't pronounce half of what comes out of his mouth, including new-cue-ler - and that gives every half with in the nation license to murder the language

or maybe it is just a dialect thing - like blacks saying axe instead of ask - and it is spread by nascar drivers and oil barons who can't get above a C in college but grow up to run the world anyways.

Answer 3

it's not that I'm aware of, but I've often heard people mispronounce it as nookier, such as our worst former president Jimmy peanut boy Carter.

Answer 4

The main person I hear misprounce 'nuclear' is Dubya...and I have to assume he does it because he's an idiot.

Answer 5

Because Americans use lazy pronunciation.

Answer 6

No, just a case of lazy tongues. Then it becomes a habit.

Answer 7

convinced....There are bunches of techniques to spell my first and my very last call they prefer to throw an more suitable L in there...both are truly elementary names..you does not imagine it will be that difficult...

Answer 8

i thinnk its a mix between laziness and wordplay that was probably once used. i mean if you think about it...isn't it the new-killer?

Answer 9

they sound about the same
subliminal messages?

Answer 10

its never pronounced like that.