Thomas A. Reisner, author of the beloved classic book Dictionary of Superseded Accentuations in Eighteenth Century English [Herbert Lang Et Co, publishers, 1976, ISBN 3261019611], cares about modern usage. Let no one claim otherwise. The October 27, 2007 issue of the Montreal Gazette carries a report about Professor Reisner (who is retired from teaching at Laval University):
Last month, Reisner sent an email to CBC headquarters in Toronto, complaining about the mispronunciation of “electoral” and “municipal.” The corporation’s newscasters, he noticed, have begun to stress the third syllable of these words, rather than the second.
“I recognize that there are many words where alternative accentuations are permissible,” he wrote. “These are not of that order. Please may I emphatically suggest that this totally superfluous piece of semi-literate vulgarism be expunged from our national broadcaster’s transmissions?”