@wellerstein I once heard a theory that the reason that some officials say “nucular” is to identify themselves as part of the nuclear industry. Do you know if that’s true? I just heard Dan Coates say “nucular”, there has to be a reason for the mispronunciation. What gives?
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I've found Nunberg's theories on this most compelling: http://people.ischool.berkeley.edu/~nunberg/nucular.html … — basically, it's a false etymology from "nukes," and some people indeed do claim to use it when they're talking about nuclear weapons (and not, say, nuclear physics or power).
Importantly, it's not necessarily a reflection of unfamiliarity with the technology (Carter said it that way, and he worked on a nuclear submarine), or lack of education. I think it's an odd thing for people to get hung up on, part of the "gatekeeping" of the nuclear community.
