I generally play hourly NPR news every few hours to prevent the need to get my news from DI, and recently their news has ben sponsored by Walden University, advertising their "docTORal" programs - emphasis on the second syllable of doctoral. But being from Philadelphia, I've always pronounced it "DOCtoral" - emphasis on the first syllable. I know we have some quirks, finding some things preRERable rather than PREFerable. And putting "gaz" in our cars rather than "gass." (At least we pronounce our town of Worcester as "WAR-chess-ter" instead of "Wiss-tuh," as they do in Massachusetts.) But I never thought about the pronunciation of doctoral until I heard Walden's ads on NPR. So what is everyone's take on this - should it be DOCtoral or docTORal? Which one do you find preFERable? Um, or PREFerable?
I've wondered about those NPR commercials, too. FWIW, back in the early 70s, when I used to talk (by phone) with founders Bernie and Rita Turner about their hopes and dreams, they certainly pronounced it DOC-toral. I find docTORal odd. Does that mean that the degree earned is a doc-TOR-ate?
You get that funny neurological thing that happens when you hear the word pronounced over and over. It starts to sound wrong or nonsensical after a bit. I started thinking that first woman was saying "duck turtle" https://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=doctoral+pronounciation&qpvt=doctoral+pronounciation&FORM=VDRE