I had just published my November Winner post when an impassioned cry shot down the corridor from Boadicea’s study, “You’ve made a spelling mistake; you’ve left an ‘i’ out”.
With the aplomb born of certainty, I strolled into her sanctum and replied smugly, “No I haven’t. There are only two ‘i’s in miss-chee-vus”.
“No, no,” she insisted, “miss-chee-vee-us has three ‘i’s.”
This is an error which has been perpetrated and perpetuated since the 17th century. Indeed, in South London and Surrey where Boadicea and I were raised, the latter pronunciation was commonplace, and it was only as a result of an uncomfortable encounter with my prep school headmaster that the correct version of both speech and spelling were etched into my young brain.
Mischievous has no correlation with devious, or any other words in -ious, but many assume that it has.
I wonder how many of you might say “miss-chee-vee-us” in an unguarded moment? 😀
Boadicea's Chariot 
Forgive me, Father Bear, for I have sinned.
I pronounce it either miss-chi-vous (the chi as in chin without the n) or miss-chee-vee-ous.
Blame it on septics teaching me English.
Miss-chu-vus for me Bearsy.
In an unguarded moment if the situation warrants I might resort to bloody stupid (blu-dee stoo-pid) ;).
Yup Soutie, the vowel in the middle is usually pronounced in most dialects as ‘ə‘ – known as schwa – but I didn’t want to confuse anyone. 😀
Miss-chi-vuss, (vuss as in puss not pus or cuss).
‘Heinous’ is another victim of this tendency to add an ‘i’.
I don’t have an ‘i’ problem with heinous, but I do have a pronunciation hangup. Although I am well aware of the sound and spelling of the root, I’m still inclined to pronounce it as hine-us if I’m not careful. 😦
What, as in your Royal Heinous?
I’ll follow the Bear.
Defo only two ‘i’s for me.
That’s the chap!
Ferret – that was a favourite phrase in our family at one time –
Yes, bearsy. Is it haynuss, Highnuss or heenusss? I’ve always gone for hay meself; is that the bovine way?
I remember the ads Bearsy, that’s why I done said it. 🙂
I once went to a hallowe’en party in a costume exactly like the one in your clip.
An’ it’s definitely hay-nus without a shadow of doubt.
Mind you, I am in the sc-on-s camp and would never use sc-own-s.
Oh dear, Furry, now you’re on dangerous ground. In Cuventry they’re scowns. 🙂
I agree with your pronunciation of mischievous, and it’s hee-nus, as far as I am concerned, Bearsy!
Nope Araminta – it’s hay-nus, as the Furry One says. Original spelling was hain, from the same root as the French haine [f] meaning hatred, and haïr – to hate. 🙂
Scone – rhymes with tone, bone and saxophone. 🙂
Now you are starting another fight! I say “scone”, as in “bone”, but Mrs FEEG says “scone as in “gone”. Numerous “debates” on the subject have been held!
On the original subject, I cannot remember the last time I used the word, but suspect I would say “mischeefus”
Ah, now that’s interesting FEEG, ‘cos I pronounce gone as gahn (not gon or even gorn, unless I’m slumming it), and I’ve never heard of a skahn 😆
It depends where you live.
If you’re the wrong side of Hadrian’s Wall then that revoltingly hard, insipidly pale concoction of flour, milk and butter is pronounced scon. Someone up there changed the pronunciation and the ‘t’ for a ‘c – to hide the fact that it was originally, most aptly, called a ‘stone’.
Ah, but, Mrs FEEG’s father came from the Land of the Fried Mars Bar!
Ah but Boadicea what about ‘shone’?
The diamond shone like a beacon.
Shone rhymes with on and so does scone QED, yah boo sucks, skinchies no returnsies, high ground, finders keepers, losers weepers, crossed fingers, invisibility shield.
Naah naaah neee naah naaaah, I can’t hear you….
1. Miss-tchee-vuss, with the emphasis on the ‘miss’.
2. Hee-nus, likewise with the emphasis on the first syllable.
3. Scon, to rhyme with ‘gone’.
So there!
OZ
Boadicea,
While I have my small furry paws plunged firmly in my magnificent pink ears and am still singing ‘Naaah Naah Nee Naaah Naaah!”
I would just like to say that my residence is a mere 200yds north of Hadrians wall, while my place of work is several miles south of it. And I agree whole heartedly with you. I detest spending my working day on the wrong side of it and can’t wait to return to civilisation of an evening. 🙂
OZ,
Miss-chee-vus. No need for the ‘t’ it simply clouds the waters.
Hay-nus.
Sk-on.
Hee hee, Ferret. There’s no point arguing logically. It just is ‘scon’ with the short ‘o’ and that’s all there is to it. If you’re not careful they’ll be arguing about through, bough, dough and cough next. Best to tippie-toe away while you’re ahead, methinks 🙂
OZ
Naaah OZ,
Where’s the fun in that? 😉
I’m with the Bear.
http://oxforddictionaries.com/definition/mischievous says this:
Usage
Mischievous is a three-syllable word; it should not be pronounced with four syllables, as if it were spelled mischievious
while the American site http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/mischievous says this:
Pronunciations of mischievous with stress on the second syllable: [mis-chee-vee-uhs] Show IPA or, less commonly, [mis-chee-vuhs], instead of on the first: [mis-chuh-vuhs], are usually considered nonstandard. The pronunciation [mis-chee-vee-uhs], with the additional syllable, occurs by analogy with such words as previous and devious.
If you follow the second link there is the chance to hear it being mispronounced!
Sounds like Bo and her cohorts do not know how to make scones!
I rarely use mischievous in speech, generally by then a string of amplifying oaths generally roared at a dog..
Love it!! Vintage Ferret at his best!! 😀
Utterly wrong, but very, very entertaining. Keep ’em coming, Furry Ears!! 😯
You are quite right Ferret
Christina
I am more than prepared to admit I haven’t a clue how to make scons / scowns. I have always found them to be rather boring unless smothered in cornish / devonshire cream (neither available here) and blackcurrant jam.
I confess I have always pronounced mischievous incorrectly, I shall amend my ways! I wonder why I’ve never been corrected before?
Scown for me every time (if it were scon, you’d never be able to eat it as it would have gone….it’s gone gettit?)…….but a bigger debate between Mrs C and I is the wonderful versatile nut, almond. I say it as in giving alms to the poor – armond, she insists on all-mond which grates with me! She often tries to correct herself and ends up saying Al mund which is even worse! Is that regional accent or breeding? 😀 She’s from good Hampshire stock!