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#118028 12/21/03 05:42 PM
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Jackie Offline OP
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This morning, I heard some sort of bigwig on television use the word herculean. She pronounced it hair-KYEW-lee-un, which I had never heard before. I say her-kyew-LEE-un. What do you all say?


#118029 12/21/03 05:54 PM
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Maybe she was talking about Poirot?


#118030 12/21/03 06:21 PM
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Dear Jackie: Webster 1913 agrees with you.


#118031 12/21/03 07:11 PM
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her-KYEW-lee-uhn here.



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#118032 12/21/03 10:55 PM
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I've always (on the rare occasions I've used the word) accented the second syllable, probably because that's the way I heard it pronounced (and there might have been a little Poirot carryover).


#118033 12/22/03 12:22 AM
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I don't think I've ever uttered this word. But when I've read it, my mind heard her-KYEW-lee-un. FWIW.


#118034 12/22/03 12:37 AM
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One of the reasons I thought of the little Belgian after reading Jackie's original post was that the lady she heard not only stressed the KEWL, but pronounced the first syllable as "hair". If I were to use the adjective in connexion with the famous fop, I would say it very similarly, although, of course, without voicing the "h".


#118035 12/22/03 02:13 AM
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FWIW, I pronounce it as you do, Jackie, with the emphasis on the LE. Can't say I've ever heard it pronounced the other way, nor did that pronunciation ever occur to me. Interesting.


#118036 12/22/03 11:30 AM
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I'm with NancyK and Jackie. I've only heard herculean pronounced with the third syllable stressed here in VA. The word is uncommonly used, but it does show its muscles occasionally.


#118037 12/22/03 01:47 PM
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Jackie Offline OP
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Well, I'm sure glad I finally got somebody on my side--I was starting to worry!
show its muscles



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