Mischievous

[Northernbrightlights]

When (and why) did it start being pronounced mischiev-ee-ous?

No. The correct pronunciation is to rhyme with hurry. wʌri

wurry is standard. 'wor' is pronounced 'wur' far more often than not - work, worm, wort, world, worse and so on.

Interesting. I’ve been pronouncing it wrong my whole life. I’ve never even noticed anyone saying “wurry”. I’ll listen out for it now.

I pronounce worry in neither of those ways

I'm trying to work out how to indicate the vowel sound. It's the same as what I use in woof and wool, and book cook hook look nook rook, but no doubt that's just confused the issue even further.

(and I don't rhyme owl with towel, either way round)

No, as pp have said - in fact I think some northerners pronounce it more like woo-ry.

I’m a southerner and sorry rhymes with lorry. Worry rhymes with curry.

I'm neither south nor north. I'm in the middle and I would pronounce them the way you do.

wrt @Northernbrightlights opening question, no idea why but I think it has probably been around for a long time. In Patricia Wentworth's Latter End (1954) a mildly mentally disabled young woman whose death is central to the narrative is described by the gardener as 'that mischeevious girl' on several occasions. It is clearly intended to mark his social status, but is not presented as a mistaken pronunciation that only he could use.

and I have now looked at the OED (the photographically reduced two volume one) and get

Mischievous: stressing on the second syllable was common in literature until about 1700; it is now dialectal and vulgar

also: mischieviously dialect,

also: 1648 Beaumont 'had his mischievious torrent stop'd'

and my old pal 'grievous' likewise:

(dial) gr(i)evious.

also: 1683 A Heynous and Grevious Crime

So 'ious' was there (as a rarity) in more than one word , fell out of use in polite society, but has showed remarkable longevity. I'm going to stop thinking of it as 'wrong' rather than as an archaic survival. But may still say 'grievous' myself.

Heath-Row. Two syllables, with equal emphasis on both.

Same goes for Dunelm. So often I hear people saying D'Nelm. It's Dun-Elm.
Dun as in greyish-brown, elm as in the tree.

Brexit/Breggzit

Nuclear/Nucular

Jewellery/Joolery

This is incredibly common. I’ve even heard it on Antiques Roadshow and similar programmes, where you’d think they’d know better.

You can sort of understand that one based on spelling.

@DeanElderberry I'm going to stop thinking of it as 'wrong' rather than as an archaic survival.

Perhaps if you can put ''though my most grieve-ee-ous fault'' in the same category as blessèd/blest type of things in hymns etc it will offend you less greviously?

Do you mean with an upwards inflection on the “row”?

Air stewards are the worst with syllables. They only pronounce about seven out of every ten.

No.

One of my biggest pet peeves, this one!

See also “new-kew-lar” instead of “new-clear” (lots of news-y people apparently can’t manage that one).

“Pro-formance” (looking at you Gary Barlow).

In the case I can’t work out what the difference would be! I can only hear it as Heath-row.

Some people pronounce it HEEthrow.

I assume you mean with an emphasis on the first syllable, rather than pronouncing the two syllables with the same amount of emphasis.

Presumably as though it's He (him) Throw, rather than Heath Row. Tell you what I hate, and it's fairly new, people pronouncing 'Pastoral' as though it's an oral something or other that happened some time ago, rather than a thing related to pastor- or shepherd-like care.

This one always throws me. I hate saying this word out loud because I know there’s a right and a wrong way but can never remember which is which. Especially as it’s used so often in education. Are the two contexts pronounced differently? In my head it’s “past” (like in “pasta”) and “oral” for pastoral care in schools, or “parse-strul” for fields. I know one of them is probably wrong but I have no idea which is right.

I'll add t'yoomeric and Isree-el.

Why?

How do you even get t'yoomeric from turmeric? And can people not see the individual vowels in Is-ra-el?

My t'yoomeric pronouncer also says c'yoomin for cumin. I use the short oo sound, as in book. But I am from the SE, and his family are from Cheshire. Is it a regional thing to say c'yoomin?

I think the educational use is an error that is becoming fossilised. Pastoral care is about shepherding the flock, whether you're a priest, an educator, or an actual animal keeper.

I agree the turmeric one makes no sense, but I think I've been hearing cyumin since Auntie J brought authentic recipes back from India in the early 60s (she wasn't properly Indian herself, but lived there and had a cook).