[Ads-l] popular eggcorn for poplar

Joel Berson berson at ATT.NET
Fri Mar 27 16:54:30 UTC 2015


You may be unpoplar in your neighborhood if you cut down too many trees.
Joel

      From: Benjamin Barrett <gogaku at IX.NETCOM.COM>
 To: ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU 
 Sent: Thursday, March 26, 2015 3:29 PM
 Subject: Re: [ADS-L] popular eggcorn for poplar
   
Thanks for the explanation.

Both instances struck me as being "popular" with the palatalization. 
I'll continue to keep my ears open. Since I'm having some poplars cut 
down in the near future, I'll have many opportunities. BB

> Laurence Horn <mailto:laurence.horn at YALE.EDU>
> March 26, 2015 at 12:10 PM
> ---------------------- Information from the mail header -----------------------
> Sender:      American Dialect Society<ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> Poster:      Laurence Horn<laurence.horn at YALE.EDU>
> Subject:      Re: popular eggcorn for poplar
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> I'd expect a simple epenthesis, without ADJSTEM-ular influence, to yield =
> a schwa rather than /j@/.  That's what we have in e.g. "filum" and =
> "athelete" and "jew(e)lery" after all.  So "popilar" (not sure how to =
> spell it) would be simple epenthesis, in the manner of "doppeler =
> effect", as I've heard "Doppler effect" pronounced, but "popular" to =
> rhyme with "copular" would involve a kind of eggcornification (or =
> "influence" =E0 la "nucular"--caught it this time!).  Not influence by =
> "copular", of course, by just generalized -ular /j at l@r/
>
> LH
>
>> On Mar 26, 2015, at 2:54 PM, Benjamin Barrett<gogaku at IX.NETCOM.COM>  =
> wrote:
>> =20
>> Is there a way to test whether it's an eggcorn or epenthesis? AFAIK, =
> we don't hear nucular or cocular in these parts, so the eggcorn =
> explanation seems more likely to me. BB
>> =20
>>> Laurence Horn<mailto:laurence.horn at YALE.EDU>
>>> March 26, 2015 at 7:42 AM
>>> ---------------------- Information from the mail header =
> -----------------------
>>> Sender:      American Dialect Society<ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
>>> Poster:      Laurence Horn<laurence.horn at YALE.EDU>
>>> Subject:      Re: popular eggcorn for poplar
>>> =
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------=
> -----
>>> =20
>>> It's that -(c)ular adjectival juggernaut again, as seen earlier in =
> the =3D
>>> replacement of "nuclear" by "nuclear" (and, to a lesser extent in =
> that =3D
>>> of "cochlear" by "cocular"), sponsored by "ocular", "jocular", =3D
>>> "spectacular", "vernacular", "particular", "muscular", and by =
> extension =3D
>>> non-velar examples like "modular" et al.=3D20
>>> =20
>>>> On Mar 26, 2015, at 2:46 AM, Benjamin Barrett<gogaku at IX.NETCOM.COM>  =
> =3D
>>> wrote:
>>>> =3D20
>>>> I have heard two people recently pronounce "poplar" as "popular." =3D
>>> Nothing too surprising, but it's not in the Eggcorn database. BB
>>>> =3D20
>>>> ------------------------------------------------------------
>>>> The American Dialect Society - =3D
>>> =
> https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=3D3Dhttp-3A__www.americandialec=
> t.=3D
>>> =
> org&d=3D3DAwICaQ&c=3D3D-dg2m7zWuuDZ0MUcV7Sdqw&r=3D3DwFp3X4Mu39hB2bf13gtz0Z=
> pW1TsS=3D
>>> =
> xPIWYiZRsMFFaLQ&m=3D3Dx4W9nL5_psQZi_078dm5PvEVQzpknKzcYuV5LxpbikY&s=3D3De_=
> Olt4=3D
>>> aaoKRUSRMR5DnEmLxrhmxErIhFfhaGtXeJGtI&e=3D3D=3D20
>>> =20
>>> ------------------------------------------------------------
>>> The American Dialect Society - =
> https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=3Dhttp-3A__www.americandialect.=
> org&d=3DAwICAw&c=3D-dg2m7zWuuDZ0MUcV7Sdqw&r=3DwFp3X4Mu39hB2bf13gtz0ZpW1TsS=
> xPIWYiZRsMFFaLQ&m=3DvgBXtj8De2deJjZ9g-0jY2hn_euVZAt7hDenxH-NtdQ&s=3DD5sQIU=
> s94tpYv1AokgLMcllkfGEd21tlQPA2Ud5tTKc&e=3D=20
>>> Benjamin Barrett<mailto:gogaku at ix.netcom.com>
>>> March 25, 2015 at 11:46 PM
>>> I have heard two people recently pronounce "poplar" as "popular." =
> Nothing too surprising, but it's not in the Eggcorn database. BB
>> =20
>> ------------------------------------------------------------
>> The American Dialect Society - =
> https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=3Dhttp-3A__www.americandialect.=
> org&d=3DAwICAw&c=3D-dg2m7zWuuDZ0MUcV7Sdqw&r=3DwFp3X4Mu39hB2bf13gtz0ZpW1TsS=
> xPIWYiZRsMFFaLQ&m=3DvgBXtj8De2deJjZ9g-0jY2hn_euVZAt7hDenxH-NtdQ&s=3DD5sQIU=
> s94tpYv1AokgLMcllkfGEd21tlQPA2Ud5tTKc&e=3D=20
>
> ------------------------------------------------------------
> The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org
>
> Benjamin Barrett <mailto:gogaku at ix.netcom.com>
> March 26, 2015 at 11:54 AM
> Is there a way to test whether it's an eggcorn or epenthesis? AFAIK, 
> we don't hear nucular or cocular in these parts, so the eggcorn 
> explanation seems more likely to me. BB
>

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