Nuclear vs Nukular

I’ve gotta get this off my chest. I have been fascinated with the pronunciation of the word “nuclear” in political circles over the past ten years.

Just to make sure we are all on the same page, the proper pronunciation of the word is exactly how it is spelled, “Nu klee ar”. It astounds me that so many politicians pronounce it incorrectly as “Nuk you ler”.

Before you think I’m being petty let me explain my consternation.

I remember when George W. Bush was running for president and he pronounced the word incorrectly. He said the word so much that I couldn’t believe that he didn’t know he was saying it wrong. Surely one of his aids or advisors said “Uh, sir. That’s not actually how the word is pronounced.”

My amazement wasn’t with the fact that he originally pronounced it wrong, but with the fact that he continues to pronounce it wrong to this day.

Not only did he continue to say it wrong, but the majority of his spokespeople said it wrong as well. My conclusion was that he knew he was saying it wrong, but he thought that by correcting himself he would be acknowledging he was wrong. Instead he directed his team to pronounce it the same way he did.

That was my theory. I thought it was stupid, but it at least made sense.

Now, Palin and others are trotting out the “Nukular” pronunciation. I have to think that it is a conscious choice with them. I don’t know if they are trying to appeal to a certain type of people or what. Maybe some people simply have an extreme difficulty with the pronunciation.

Someone help me out. Why would anyone continue to mispronounce a word after they realize they are mispronouncing it? Is it deliberate, do they just not feel it matters, or are they unable to pronounce the word?