I largely agree with Terry but then comes: "it does reveal less concern about one's pronunciation matching the spelling of the word or the standards of American educational norms."
The American educational standards maybe (if one can still say that with a straight face) but spelling matching pronunciation is not somewhere English speakers want to go. Spanish speakers would have a point (I assume all Spanish speakers - or at least those speaking the same dialect - will pronounce it as at: http://www.spanishdict.com/translate/nuclear#) but English is idiomatic to the extreme. I always thought my grandmother was strange to pronounce "motorcycle" as "motor-sickle" but then I just recently realized, what about "bicycle"? Why isn't it "bi-cycle"? Rick Dr. Rick Froman, Chair Division of Humanities and Social Sciences Box 3055 x7295 [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://tinyurl.com/DrFroman Proverbs 14:15 "A simple man believes anything, but a prudent man gives thought to his steps." From: Terry Gottfried [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Friday, October 10, 2008 12:25 PM To: Teaching in the Psychological Sciences (TIPS) Subject: Re: [tips] Stephen Pinker champions "nuc-u-lar"??? Of course Pinker was not "championing" this pronunciation, but merely explaining it--what linguistic processes might lead people to pronounce it one way or another. The question of whether it is the "right" or "wrong" pronunciation is determined by a speech community, as Rick notes. One can indeed change the way one pronounces words, based on exposure to a different dialect or variety--including exposure to what has been deemed more standard in academic communities. Is it really less intelligent to pronounce it "nucular"? Of course not, but it does reveal less concern about one's pronunciation matching the spelling of the word or the standards of American educational norms. Pinker's argument is coming out of a descriptive (and explanatory) linguistics, not a prescriptive linguistics. Terry BTW, I prefer "noo-clee-er," although some dialects prefer "nyoo-clee-er" On Oct 10, 2008, at 11:42 AM, beth benoit wrote: Sorry, Rick, I don't agree. I think where you were raised and how people spoke around you doesn't give you a blank check to mispronounce words. My mother, for example, always pronounced ego "A-go." (Sounds like the waffles...) BUT once I learned a little more, I quickly revised my own pronunciation. It may not be a link to intelligence, but I defend it as at least linked to learning and education. My mother was educated, but always scornful of people's interest in psychology as being a result of their being only interested "in themselves and studying their own navels." (Obviously, I went into psychology anyhow, though I never found my own navel of particular interest.) Beth Benoit -----Original Message----- From: Rick Froman [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Friday, October 10, 2008 12:26 PM To: Teaching in the Psychological Sciences (TIPS) Subject: RE: [tips] Stephen Pinker champions "nuc-u-lar"??? Might it be culturally insensitive, at best, and fill-in-the-blank, at worst, in many situations to link intelligence with pronunciation of any particular word? Has it really come to that on a professional list? I would say how you pronounce something is tied almost entirely to where you were raised and how people spoke around you. In some cases, as a person's environment changes, their pronunciation may also change. Some politicians are even able to change the pronunciation of a word depending on who they are around and to whom they may be appealing. For a very interesting linguistic analysis of why this particular pronunciation is common, see: http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Transwiki:Nucular. You might want to hurry because the entry is "marked for deletion". Rick Dr. Rick Froman, Chair Division of Humanities and Social Sciences Box 3055 x7295 [EMAIL PROTECTED]<mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> http://tinyurl.com/DrFroman Proverbs 14:15 "A simple man believes anything, but a prudent man gives thought to his steps." --- To make changes to your subscription contact: Bill Southerly ([EMAIL PROTECTED]<mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]>) --- To make changes to your subscription contact: Bill Southerly ([EMAIL PROTECTED]<mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]>) Terry Gottfried Professor of Psychology Lawrence University Appleton, WI 54912-0599 [EMAIL PROTECTED]<mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> --- To make changes to your subscription contact: Bill Southerly ([EMAIL PROTECTED]) --- To make changes to your subscription contact: Bill Southerly ([EMAIL PROTECTED])
