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Joined:  Feb 2008 Posts: 876 old hand |  
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Okay, I have always known this word to be pronounced (and pardon my clumsy notation; no good at the technical way...) as "MISS chuh viss". I have heard "miss CHEE vee uhss", but never paid much attention to it. I thought it was wrong, or perhaps a slipped in Britishism along the lines of "aluminium". Online it is characterized as incorrect. Just wondering what different people hear/think in their necks of the woods. I heard it pronounced as the latter on NPR recently. Thanks! :0) |  |  |  
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Joined:  Apr 2000 Posts: 10,542 Carpal Tunnel |  
|   Carpal Tunnel Joined:  Apr 2000 Posts: 10,542 | 
what do I know? I find upon reflection that I pronounce it *either way when I read it, depending on.. I've no idea on what. I haven't had the opportunity to actually speak it in many years, or hear it spoken, so I'm at a loss.
 edit: M-W online gives  ÷mis-ˈchē-vē-əs as a variant, but I don't know what the '÷' symbol implies.
 
Last edited by tsuwm; 11/19/2010 3:17 PM.
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Joined:  Feb 2008 Posts: 876 old hand |  
| old hand Joined:  Feb 2008 Posts: 876 | 
÷ = incorrect variant  ;0)
 "The obelus, or division sign, is placed before a pronunciation variant that occurs in educated speech but that is considered by some to be questionable or unacceptable. This symbol is used sparingly and primarily for variants that have been objected to over a period of time in print by commentators on usage, in schools by teachers, or in correspondence that has come to the Merriam-Webster editorial department."
 
 
Last edited by twosleepy; 11/19/2010 3:48 PM. Reason: looked it up....
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Joined:  Jun 2008 Posts: 9,971 Likes: 3 Carpal Tunnel |  
|   Carpal Tunnel Joined:  Jun 2008 Posts: 9,971 Likes: 3 | 
I hear chee-vee-ous at times. But there is no 'i' in thefinal syllable so I've assumed it to be incorrect.
 
 ----please, draw me a sheep----
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Joined:  Apr 2000 Posts: 10,542 Carpal Tunnel |  
|   Carpal Tunnel Joined:  Apr 2000 Posts: 10,542 | 
ah, the RPSN* marking.
 *Received Pronunciation Society of Nitpickers
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Joined:  Jun 2008 Posts: 9,971 Likes: 3 Carpal Tunnel |  
|   Carpal Tunnel Joined:  Jun 2008 Posts: 9,971 Likes: 3 | 
Another country heard from. 
 ----please, draw me a sheep----
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Joined:  Jun 2002 Posts: 7,210 Carpal Tunnel |  
|   Carpal Tunnel Joined:  Jun 2002 Posts: 7,210 | 
always used to say the Chee-vee-us version, unless I was trying to be clever, then I'd use the "proper British" form.
 then I actually read the word, and realized the i was transposed.
 
 now I just don't use the word.
 
 :¬ )
 
 formerly known as etaoin...
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Joined:  Dec 2000 Posts: 13,803 Carpal Tunnel |  
|   Carpal Tunnel Joined:  Dec 2000 Posts: 13,803 | 
I got thinking that it might be suffering from crosstalk with devious.  The two do share some common ground. |  |  |  
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Joined:  Jun 2002 Posts: 7,210 Carpal Tunnel |  
|   Carpal Tunnel Joined:  Jun 2002 Posts: 7,210 | 
I got thinking that it might be suffering from crosstalk with devious.  The two do share some common ground.that's a good thought and certainly makes me feel better about my mis-pronunciation... :¬ ) 
 formerly known as etaoin...
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Joined:  Nov 2010 Posts: 677 addict |  
|   addict Joined:  Nov 2010 Posts: 677 | 
It happens a bit over here, although generally only at school because English teachers tend to favour it as a spelling test word because so many young people tend to say it with the non-existant i and so spell it incorrectly. Because of this they tend to get taught the correct spelling and so learn to spell it with its phonetics miss-chee-vous and so after school most have lost the -vee-ous. 
 ----The next sentence is true. The previous sentence is false----
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Joined:  Jun 2008 Posts: 9,971 Likes: 3 Carpal Tunnel |  
|   Carpal Tunnel Joined:  Jun 2008 Posts: 9,971 Likes: 3 | 
It was a favorite of mine when I taught school. 
 ----please, draw me a sheep----
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Joined:  Mar 2000 Posts: 6,511 Carpal Tunnel |  
|   Carpal Tunnel Joined:  Mar 2000 Posts: 6,511 | 
Okay, I have always known this word to be pronounced (and pardon my clumsy notation; no good at the technical way...) as "MISS chuh viss". I have heard "miss CHEE vee uhss", but never paid much attention to it. I thought it was wrong, or perhaps a slipped in Britishism along the lines of "aluminium". Online it is characterized as incorrect. Just wondering what different people hear/think in their necks of the woods. I heard it pronounced as the latter on NPR recently. Thanks! :0) I did, too. It was the revered Scott Simon and I actually wrote to him about it. He replied, thanking me! |  |  |  
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Joined:  Jun 2006 Posts: 5,295 Carpal Tunnel |  
|   Carpal Tunnel Joined:  Jun 2006 Posts: 5,295 | 
I've always thought it a real chique word for something bad. I like it. We learned " MISS cheef " and  "MISS cheve us" . What should it really be? |  |  |  
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Joined:  Apr 2000 Posts: 10,542 Carpal Tunnel |  
|   Carpal Tunnel Joined:  Apr 2000 Posts: 10,542 | 
let's see if this works..audio |  |  |  
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Joined:  Jun 2008 Posts: 9,971 Likes: 3 Carpal Tunnel |  
|   Carpal Tunnel Joined:  Jun 2008 Posts: 9,971 Likes: 3 | 
 ----please, draw me a sheep----
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Joined:  Jun 2006 Posts: 5,295 Carpal Tunnel |  
|   Carpal Tunnel Joined:  Jun 2006 Posts: 5,295 | 
Works perfectly and it sounds nice. Hope I can use it soon.;-) |  |  |  
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Joined:  Jun 2006 Posts: 5,295 Carpal Tunnel |  
|   Carpal Tunnel Joined:  Jun 2006 Posts: 5,295 | 
Your link leads to an empty page. Now emptiness can be interesting too. |  |  |  
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Joined:  Jun 2008 Posts: 9,971 Likes: 3 Carpal Tunnel |  
|   Carpal Tunnel Joined:  Jun 2008 Posts: 9,971 Likes: 3 | 
Your link leads to an empty page. Now emptiness can be interesting too. Funny, it opens for me. 
 ----please, draw me a sheep----
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Joined:  Nov 2010 Posts: 677 addict |  
|   addict Joined:  Nov 2010 Posts: 677 | 
Your link leads to an empty page. Now emptiness can be interesting too. Ah but is anything truly empty? There is always something there, so can therefore never be empty. 
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Joined:  Dec 2000 Posts: 13,803 Carpal Tunnel |  
|   Carpal Tunnel Joined:  Dec 2000 Posts: 13,803 | 
If nothing else, it's filled with empty. |  |  |  
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Joined:  Sep 2010 Posts: 1,706 Pooh-Bah |  
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the link worked well for me
 and I listened to several other words (even my name LOL )
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Joined:  Jun 2006 Posts: 5,295 Carpal Tunnel |  
|   Carpal Tunnel Joined:  Jun 2006 Posts: 5,295 | 
Your link leads to an empty page. Now emptiness can be interesting too. Ah but is anything truly empty? There is always something there, so can therefore never be empty.  That's  why I said it is interesting. Today the page decided to open up; a useful link to save, Luke. Thanks. |  |  |  
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Joined:  Nov 2010 Posts: 677 addict |  
|   addict Joined:  Nov 2010 Posts: 677 | 
I was merely commenting on the word. I tend to ask people what nothing is as well and so far no-one has come up with anything except "well...it's, like, nothing, right?'. There are a few of these words and empty happens to be among them so I was just being...(word melts from mind...will go with pedantic instead)...pedantic  
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Joined:  Dec 2000 Posts: 13,803 Carpal Tunnel |  
|   Carpal Tunnel Joined:  Dec 2000 Posts: 13,803 | 
So, if someone asks you if the glass is half empty or half full you'll answer, "Yes."  Right? |  |  |  
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Joined:  Nov 2010 Posts: 677 addict |  
|   addict Joined:  Nov 2010 Posts: 677 | 
Most certainly. It can't very well be one or the other if it is 'half' anything, it's both. 
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Joined:  Dec 2000 Posts: 13,803 Carpal Tunnel |  
|   Carpal Tunnel Joined:  Dec 2000 Posts: 13,803 | 
Or either that or it's a parfait of empty and, e.g., water. |  |  |  
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Joined:  Jun 2008 Posts: 9,971 Likes: 3 Carpal Tunnel |  
|   Carpal Tunnel Joined:  Jun 2008 Posts: 9,971 Likes: 3 | 
Glad it finally worked for you.  I had a friend try andit opened for her, so I was sort of wondering why it
 worked for some and not others.   But I never did
 get to see what Jackie wrote with the "white out" - never
 worked for me. So....
 
 ----please, draw me a sheep----
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Joined:  Sep 2010 Posts: 1,706 Pooh-Bah |  
|   Pooh-Bah Joined:  Sep 2010 Posts: 1,706 | 
So, if someone asks you if the glass is half empty or half full you'll answer, "Yes."  Right? I always have trouble with that one too.... are you optimistic when its half full.. because you 'have' some? but NO....thats pessimistic. you should be happy that the glass is half empty!!!!!!!
Last edited by Candy; 11/28/2010 12:57 AM. Reason: being mischievous LOL
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Joined:  Mar 2000 Posts: 11,613 Carpal Tunnel |  
|   Carpal Tunnel Joined:  Mar 2000 Posts: 11,613 | 
 ...(word melts from mind  Picayunish?   |  |  |  
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Joined:  Dec 2000 Posts: 13,803 Carpal Tunnel |  
|   Carpal Tunnel Joined:  Dec 2000 Posts: 13,803 | 
 are you optimistic when its half full.. because you 'have' some?
 but NO....thats pessimistic.
 you should be happy that the glass is half empty!!!!!!!
Or, as the design engineer said, "I kept half my water in a redundant glass." |  |  |  
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Joined:  Nov 2010 Posts: 677 addict |  
|   addict Joined:  Nov 2010 Posts: 677 | 
 ...(word melts from mind  Picayunish?   That is exactly the word that disappeared from my mind! Thanks   
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Joined:  Mar 2000 Posts: 11,613 Carpal Tunnel |  
|   Carpal Tunnel Joined:  Mar 2000 Posts: 11,613 | 
You're welcome!     |  |  |  
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Joined:  Dec 2010 Posts: 4 stranger |  
|   stranger Joined:  Dec 2010 Posts: 4 | 
I hear miss chee vi us a lot more than I did. I also hear proNOUNciation frequently, even on the BBC.
 And of course Nucular power.
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Joined:  Aug 2005 Posts: 3,290 Carpal Tunnel |  
|   Carpal Tunnel Joined:  Aug 2005 Posts: 3,290 | 
I hear miss chee vi us a lot more than I did. I also hear proNOUNciation frequently, even on the BBC.
 I hear air for err, often with the t pronounced, and intelligentsia with a soft g (all variant pronunciations of the past century or less), but I'm not losing sleep over it. Oh, and flaccid with the first c soft, rather than hard [sic].
 
 Ceci n'est pas un seing.
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Joined:  Jun 2008 Posts: 9,971 Likes: 3 Carpal Tunnel |  
|   Carpal Tunnel Joined:  Jun 2008 Posts: 9,971 Likes: 3 | 
 ----please, draw me a sheep----
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Joined:  Sep 2010 Posts: 1,706 Pooh-Bah |  
|   Pooh-Bah Joined:  Sep 2010 Posts: 1,706 | 
..... Oh, and [i]flaccid with the first c soft, rather than hard [sic].
a bit of Viagra might help with that. |  |  |  
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Joined:  May 2010 Posts: 963 old hand |  
|   old hand Joined:  May 2010 Posts: 963 | 
Air is the pronunciation I learned for err, and by far the more often heard, not that it's common in everyday speech. I don't believe I've every heard a hard c in flaccid. It all depends on where you're from, I guess.
 Peter
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Joined:  Jun 2008 Posts: 9,971 Likes: 3 Carpal Tunnel |  
|   Carpal Tunnel Joined:  Jun 2008 Posts: 9,971 Likes: 3 | 
I am with you on the "air' for 'err'.  that is the wayI learned it.
 
 ----please, draw me a sheep----
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Joined:  Mar 2000 Posts: 11,613 Carpal Tunnel |  
|   Carpal Tunnel Joined:  Mar 2000 Posts: 11,613 | 
Same here. Apparently I don't always air on the side of caution. |  |  |  
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Joined:  Jun 2008 Posts: 9,971 Likes: 3 Carpal Tunnel |  
|   Carpal Tunnel Joined:  Jun 2008 Posts: 9,971 Likes: 3 | 
Cannot get it mixed up with 'ear', either. 
 ----please, draw me a sheep----
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