We're through the looking glass, Merriam . . .

[boobooday]

Did you know that the Merriam-Webster online dictionary has been altered to make the shrub look less dim-witted?

Dig this, at the bottom of the listing for the word NUCLEAR:

<snip>
usage Though disapproved of by many, pronunciations ending in \-ky&-l&r\ have been found in widespread use among educated speakers including scientists, lawyers, professors, congressmen, U.S. cabinet members, and at least one U.S. president and one vice president. While most common in the U.S., these pronunciations have also been heard from British and Canadian speakers.
<snip>

Are we talking about Bush and Quayle here? And believe it or not, they have recorded an example of this pronunciation to the site. If you want to see/hear this latest example of 1984 meets 2004, visit http://www.m-w.com

Look up "nuclear"



http://www.wgoeshome.com

[Dookus]

1. nah

it's not specifically a "Bush" thing. Jimmy Carter produced it "nucular", too, and he was a nuclear engineer!

[boobooday]

2. love the hamster!

:-)

But should we put it in the dictionary? Did they change the dictionary for Carter?

[Dookus]

3. No

but I don't believe they changed it for Bush, either.

It's a regional thing. Tens of millions of people, many (OK all of them) much smarter than the President say the word that way. Dictionaries simply reflect reality.