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Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
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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?
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Joined: Jul 2003
Posts: 3,230
Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Jul 2003
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Maybe she was talking about Poirot?
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Joined: Jan 2001
Posts: 13,858
Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
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Dear Jackie: Webster 1913 agrees with you.
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Joined: Jun 2002
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Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
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her-KYEW-lee-uhn here. 
formerly known as etaoin...
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Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 171
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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).
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Joined: Mar 2000
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Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
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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.
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Joined: Jul 2003
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Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
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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".
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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.
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Joined: Sep 2001
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Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Sep 2001
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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.
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Joined: Mar 2000
Posts: 11,613
Carpal Tunnel
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OP
Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Mar 2000
Posts: 11,613 |
Well, I'm sure glad I finally got somebody on my side--I was starting to worry!
show its muscles 
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