It Is Still Pronounced Newklear!!
Former U.S. President George W. Bush frequently would pronounce the word nuclear incorrectly. I was watching the news the other day and the subject was Iran and the enrichment of uranium for possible nuclear weapons use. The broadcaster continually pronounced the word incorrectly. The non-scientist guests pronounced it incorrectly. The scientist guest of course pronounced it correctly, but even after he did so several times, the others involved in the discussion continued to incorrectly pronounce the word nuclear.
I know some people out there may think that I shouldn't worry about it, but the fact is that many people in the public eye are now pronouncing words incorrectly or using poor grammar. The rest of the world who listen to what these people say will pick up the improper pronunciations and incorrect use of grammar and as a result, it is heard and goes unchecked in our educational institutions. If we can't insist that our leaders and public figures at least attempt to use language correctly, we might as well go back to simple grunts and gestures to indicate what we want to convey.
People are intelligent! But people are also lazy, especially when it comes to language. The result of that laziness combined with intelligence is slang. I am a big fan of slang, and it has many appropriate uses, but when it comes to news, politics, science and informing the public about these subjects, proper use of language should not be an option, but a prerequisite for that information. When our news, politics, and science are littered with slang, bad grammar and mispronunciations we are all the more poor for it.
(Update: I had a link to another video clip where a news announcer mispronounced the word nuclear - the video has since been removed from YouTube. Obviously the individual must be embarrassed by his error.)
So here is a plea to those people (or their handlers) who are very much in the public eye. Please write carefully and work on pronunciation. By doing so it will encourage the teachers and the students. If we hear intelligence, we strive for it. In striving for it we move forward, and moving forward is something this world really needs.