Just caught this at the onion.
http://theonion.com/news/index.php?issue=4127&n=1
Cheers
Richc
That’s pretty funny. I make the Onion a regular part of my online experience.
WB
Another reason why I do not like to read latin poetry. Any fool can memorize a translation and facts about the Roman world, as any fool can titrate; however too little value is placed on raw linguistic talent and flair. This does mean that one should be a monster like whiteoctave, but have a unique manner of latin expression. However we are not the ancients so our writing is scarcely worth my smashed buchner funnel.
It makes me wonder if we didn’t once have a president who actually was prone to classical digressions. It doesn’t seem unlikely.
Does his love of other (ancient) languages explain why he doesn’t seem to be able to speak English? If he says “terrists” for “terrorists” one more time I will just scream!!! 
Oh relax 
With a language being spoken by so many people you can’t possibly expect all the pronunciation to be the same.
(If you Ausies say nile when you mean nail one more time I will just scream!!! 
)
William, I was curious after reading your musing. I consulted a book that has always seemed to have the answers on US Presidents: The Complete Book of US Presidents by William A. DeGregorio.
Here are the likely candidates for classical digressions (as well as a couple who failed badly):
Thomas Jefferson 3rd President
Knew Latin and Greek, and a teacher, Reverend James Maury, “encouraged Jefferson’s linguistic ability and instilled in him an appreciation for the classics in their original languages.”
James Madison 4th President
Knew Latin and Greek, and later learned Hebrew.
James Monroe 5th President
“He progressed through Latin and math at a faster rate than that of most boys his age.”
John Quincy Adams 6th President
Mastered Greek and Latin by age 18. (Among other languages.)
William Henry Harrison 9th President
Studied classical languages.
James K Polk 11th President
“In college he received a classical education, with emphasis on Greek, Latin, and philosophy.”
Franklin Pierce 14th President
Knew Latin and Greek.
James A. Garfield 20th President
Knew Latin and Greek.
Chester A. Arthur 21st President
Took the “classical curriculum” in college.
Theodore Roosevelt 26th President
“Excelled in…German…but fell down in the ancient languages.”
Woodrow Wilson 28th President
Received good grades at college in Latin and Greek.
Warren G. Harding 29th President
Studied Latin.
Calvin Coolidge 30th President
“Studied modern and ancient languages, becoming quite proficient in Greek…”
Franklin D. Roosevelt 32nd President
He won the Latin Prize before he went to Harvard. It’s unclear if he continued with Latin at Harvard.
Harry S. Truman 33rd President
Latin was one of his favorite subjects.
Gerald R. Ford 38th President
“Did poorly in Latin” at his high school.
I have no information on President Clinton and President George W Bush. If anyone knows I’d love to hear about them.
WB
I certainly don’t say “nile” and I’m not talking about his accent, it is his mutilation of the language! And anyhow I just love it when my husband watches the Indy car races on cable with all those beautiful “deep South” and USA country voices. Even the guys changing the tyres seem to speak better than George W! And where did he get “nuc-u-lear” from - no other American ever seems to say that!
PS - only Queenslanders say “nile”, but then they say a lot of other strange things as well - probably including “nuc-u-lear” 
I have family in Queensand, and I’ve never head anyone “hit the nile on the head”, or use more colorful expressions involving the word “nile”.
I am still puzzled by the title of this topic. What does Bush (fictitiously) rambling about Vergil have to do with preferring Greek?
I say terrorists this way in everyday speech - of course, if I were giving a public speech I would probably pronounce it better, but I care far more about Bush’s other failures than his diction.
You must not be talking to the same people I am. I hear the incorrect pronunciation far more often than the correct one. It may be a southern thing, though. I’m a transplant living in Tennessee.
However, I will say that the “nuc-u-lear” is not nearly as annoiying as the completely unnecessary pronunciation of the name of the letter “x” in words like xylophone (“EKS-ZYLOPHONE”) and xavier (“EKS-ZAVIER”). There must be a natural human tendency to add syllables to words. Even the “four-letter words” have two syllables down here.
As far as how Bush speaks, I wouldn’t judge a man’s intelligence by his public speaking skills. I think we (Americans) place far too much emphasis on how a candidate/politician looks and sounds on TV.
I am still puzzled by the title of this topic. What does Bush (fictitiously) rambling about Vergil >have to do with preferring Greek
Simply guillt by association.
Sorry about the clumsy quoting. I’m trying to get it working here on my box and I’m
baffled. 
Just select all the text and then click on the quote button on the top. This is much easier than some other forums where you have to click quote once at the beginning of the quote and another at the end.
Of course!!
Just select all the text and then click on the quote button on the top. This is much easier than some other forums where you have to click quote once at the beginning of the quote and another at the end.
Well I might have actually learned something today.
Cheers
Rich
my grandfather (from n. carolina) did. and he was a nuclear scientist.
just because a person doesn’t have perfect diction doesn’t mean they’re an idiot. a lot of people speak and write very well and are dumb as a post.
I’ve always found this amusing
It is said that Garfield used to amuse friends by simultaneously writing Latin with one hand and Greek with the other. http://www.answers.com/topic/james-garfield
Nucular was the more common expression throughout the cold war in america. Its all over movies from that time and frequently on the news reports from that era. It wasn’t until the 90’s that 7th grade science teachers rose up and corrected everyone.
Nucular
Could the reason be that some people think of the word as splitting in a different place, i.e., ‘nucle - ar’, as opposed to 'nu - clear?
Anyway, we Brits (with the exception of East Anglians and Cockneys) say it in a way that probably sounds odd to at least some North Americans: ‘nyooclear’, rather than ‘nooclear’.
Which reminds me of a question I am sure William A. will know the answer to. In discussions of this sort on the web, what’s the best convention for representing phonetics, without the hassle of using an IPA character set?
Using Latin phonemes?
nû-cli-ar.
Interesting! The word is obviously of Latin roots. I just looked up the word in my dictionary and learnt that it can be both nucleus and nuculeus! So the “nucular” is by no means as strange as one might think!
I wonder what Latin pronunciation does to this word: probably ‘noo-cle-us’, rather than ‘nyoo-cle-us’
Amen to that…one of my jobs is in a grocery store…there is only one person there that has proper grammar when using the intercom. She has outstanding skills with English…but she’s about as sharp as a box of rocks!