24
The titular hero Jack Bauer repeatedly saves the world in the FOX hit 24, but everyone hated hearing actor Kiefer Sutherland pronouncing the word “nuclear” as “nukular.”
“That’s a classic example of ‘metathesis,’ a process in which sounds in a word are re-arranged,” says Adams, who points out Sutherland isn’t alone.
“Take George W. Bush, as well as Carter, Ford, Reagan and now Donald Trump—they all said ‘nukular’ at least once in a public address.”
This sound switcheroo isn’t new, he adds. “Back in the 13th Century, many Middle English speakers called the things with feathers and beaks a ‘bridd,’ and I’ve imagined those grammarians telling their kids saying ‘bird’ is wrong. But certain words change over the centuries.”
