[1] This is one of two contentious pronunciations that receive particular mention in the FAQ of the Merriam-Webster Dictionary: Though disapproved of by many, pronunciations ending in \-kyə-lər\ have been found in widespread use among educated speakers, including scientists, lawyers, professors, congressmen, United States cabinet members, and at least two United States presidents and one vice president.
Whereas Eisenhower's pronunciation most likely arose from lack of familiarity (he first learned the word in midlife), Bush's usage may represent a calculated effort to appeal to populist sentiment,[10] though Nunberg's theory here is rejected by linguist Steven Pinker.
[6] Oxford professor Marcus du Sautoy used this pronunciation in a BBC documentary,[11] and Orson Welles said "nucular" while speaking at the 1982 "No Nukes" rally in Central Park.
In Get Smart, also released in 2008, the President, a clear parody of George W. Bush, says "nucular", only for the exasperated Chief of CONTROL to loudly correct him.
Pinker has proposed[19] a phonotactic explanation for the conversion of nuclear to nucular: the unusual and disfavored sequence [kli.ər] is gradually transformed to a more acceptable configuration via metathesis.
[citation needed] But Arnold Zwicky notes that [kli.ər] presents no difficulty for English speakers in words such as pricklier and deems the postulation of metathesis unnecessary.