Paraplegic.

[Mark Odegard]

>I queried my Northwest-raised family tonight in a way so as not to
>lead the witness, and they were all surprised to hear of pronouncing
>paraplegic and quadriplegic without an epenthetic schwa.
>
>Benjamin Barrett

I'm not suprised at this attestation. The real question is how this very
popular 'mis-pronunciation' arose. It is a medical term, not something you
encounter every day. Nor are the roots that particularly analyzable.

As a speculation, it might have arisen in WWI. A related story from WWI is
that of the origin for 'basket case' as a term for quadruple amputees and
perhaps quadriplegics.

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