[Ads-l] popular eggcorn for poplar

Fri Mar 27 21:30:24 UTC 2015

Hereabouts, people trash-talk poplars, calling them derisive things like 
"garbage trees" and "troublesome." You have to take the high road when 
the uninformed get upset about cutting down such nuisances. BB

> Joel Berson <mailto:berson at ATT.NET>
> March 27, 2015 at 9:54 AM
> ---------------------- Information from the mail header -----------------------
> Sender:       American Dialect Society<ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> Poster:       Joel Berson<berson at ATT.NET>
> Subject:      Re: popular eggcorn for poplar
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> 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=20
>   Sent: Thursday, March 26, 2015 3:29 PM
>   Subject: Re: [ADS-L] popular eggcorn for poplar
>    =20
> Thanks for the explanation.
>
> Both instances struck me as being "popular" with the palatalization.=20
> I'll continue to keep my ears open. Since I'm having some poplars cut=20
> 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:=C2=A0 =C2=A0 =C2=A0 American Dialect Society<ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.E=
> DU>
>> Poster:=C2=A0 =C2=A0 =C2=A0 Laurence Horn<laurence.horn at YALE.EDU>
>> Subject:=C2=A0 =C2=A0 =C2=A0 Re: popular eggcorn for poplar
>> -------------------------------------------------------------------------=
> ------
>> I'd expect a simple epenthesis, without ADJSTEM-ular influence, to yield =
> =3D
>> a schwa rather than /j@/.=C2=A0 That's what we have in e.g. "filum" and =
> =3D
>> "athelete" and "jew(e)lery" after all.=C2=A0 So "popilar" (not sure how t=
> o =3D
>> spell it) would be simple epenthesis, in the manner of "doppeler =3D
>> effect", as I've heard "Doppler effect" pronounced, but "popular" to =3D
>> rhyme with "copular" would involve a kind of eggcornification (or =3D
>> "influence" =3DE0 la "nucular"--caught it this time!).=C2=A0 Not influenc=
> e by =3D
>> "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>=C2=
> =A0 =3D
>> wrote:
>>> =3D20
>>> Is there a way to test whether it's an eggcorn or epenthesis? AFAIK, =3D
>> we don't hear nucular or cocular in these parts, so the eggcorn =3D
>> explanation seems more likely to me. BB
>>> =3D20
>>>> Laurence Horn<mailto:laurence.horn at YALE.EDU>
>>>> March 26, 2015 at 7:42 AM
>>>> ---------------------- Information from the mail header =3D
>> -----------------------
>>>> Sender:=C2=A0 =C2=A0 =C2=A0 American Dialect Society<ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA=
> .EDU>
>>>> Poster:=C2=A0 =C2=A0 =C2=A0 Laurence Horn<laurence.horn at YALE.EDU>
>>>> Subject:=C2=A0 =C2=A0 =C2=A0 Re: popular eggcorn for poplar
>>>> =3D
>> -------------------------------------------------------------------------=
> -=3D
>> -----
>>>> =3D20
>>>> It's that -(c)ular adjectival juggernaut again, as seen earlier in =3D
>> the =3D3D
>>>> replacement of "nuclear" by "nuclear" (and, to a lesser extent in =3D
>> that =3D3D
>>>> of "cochlear" by "cocular"), sponsored by "ocular", "jocular", =3D3D
>>>> "spectacular", "vernacular", "particular", "muscular", and by =3D
>> extension =3D3D
>>>> non-velar examples like "modular" et al.=3D3D20
>>>> =3D20
>>>>> On Mar 26, 2015, at 2:46 AM, Benjamin Barrett<gogaku at IX.NETCOM.COM>=C2=
> =A0 =3D
>> =3D3D
>>>> wrote:
>>>>> =3D3D20
>>>>> I have heard two people recently pronounce "poplar" as "popular." =3D3=
> D
>>>> Nothing too surprising, but it's not in the Eggcorn database. BB
>>>>> =3D3D20
>>>>> ------------------------------------------------------------
>>>>> The American Dialect Society - =3D3D
>>>> =3D
>> https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=3D3D3Dhttp-3A__www.americandia=
> lec=3D
>> t.=3D3D
>>>> =3D
>> org&d=3D3D3DAwICaQ&c=3D3D3D-dg2m7zWuuDZ0MUcV7Sdqw&r=3D3D3DwFp3X4Mu39hB2bf=
> 13gtz0Z=3D
>> pW1TsS=3D3D
>>>> =3D
>> xPIWYiZRsMFFaLQ&m=3D3D3Dx4W9nL5_psQZi_078dm5PvEVQzpknKzcYuV5LxpbikY&s=3D3=
> D3De_=3D
>> Olt4=3D3D
>>>> aaoKRUSRMR5DnEmLxrhmxErIhFfhaGtXeJGtI&e=3D3D3D=3D3D20
>>>> =3D20
>>>> ------------------------------------------------------------
>>>> The American Dialect Society - =3D
>> https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=3D3Dhttp-3A__www.americandiale=
> ct.=3D
>> org&d=3D3DAwICAw&c=3D3D-dg2m7zWuuDZ0MUcV7Sdqw&r=3D3DwFp3X4Mu39hB2bf13gtz0=
> ZpW1TsS=3D
>> xPIWYiZRsMFFaLQ&m=3D3DvgBXtj8De2deJjZ9g-0jY2hn_euVZAt7hDenxH-NtdQ&s=3D3DD=
> 5sQIU=3D
>> s94tpYv1AokgLMcllkfGEd21tlQPA2Ud5tTKc&e=3D3D=3D20
>>>> 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." =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.americandiale=
> ct.=3D
>> org&d=3D3DAwICAw&c=3D3D-dg2m7zWuuDZ0MUcV7Sdqw&r=3D3DwFp3X4Mu39hB2bf13gtz0=
> ZpW1TsS=3D
>> xPIWYiZRsMFFaLQ&m=3D3DvgBXtj8De2deJjZ9g-0jY2hn_euVZAt7hDenxH-NtdQ&s=3D3DD=
> 5sQIU=3D
>> s94tpYv1AokgLMcllkfGEd21tlQPA2Ud5tTKc&e=3D3D=3D20
>>
>> ------------------------------------------------------------
>> 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,=20
>> we don't hear nucular or cocular in these parts, so the eggcorn=20
>> explanation seems more likely to me. BB
>>
>
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> The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org
>
>
>
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> The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org
>
>
> Benjamin Barrett <mailto:gogaku at ix.netcom.com>
> March 26, 2015 at 12:29 PM
> 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
>

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