Date: Tue, 12 Sep 1995 00:41:29 -0700

From: Rima & Kim McKinzey rkm[AT SYMBOL GOES HERE]SLIP.NET

Subject: Re: Pronounciation of ...



The folks I know who say "relator" also tend to say "joolery" for jewelry -

but they're not necessarily the folks who say nucular. Also, of those I've

heard say nucular - they usually say nucleus just fine.



I wrote the above before I read all the other responses which also included

the jewelry example. So responding to the thread, I say joolree usually,

although occasionally I actually say jooalree. Grew up in NY.



Re the other examples; I (as pron editor) included febyooery in AHD (hadn't

realized I was considered all that prescriptive) because it is so prevalent

and accepted - whereas liberree isn't. When I was still in school, we were

taught that the definition of "correct" speech and pronunciation was that

which was spoken by the educated folks in any given area.



Sometimes, however, we more-or-less descriptivist pronchics still get

unhappy. At Random House, we put in the nucular pron because Carter said

it (referencing The President's Speech theory), and originally were going

to put a pronunciation modifier along with it: "nookleear, often nookular"

to be really read as, "and entirely too often".



Rima