Some sources claim that 'lieutenant' had alternative spellings such as leftenant, leftenaunt, lieftenant, lieftenaunt etc., and that the ModE pronunciation with /f/ (BrE mostly) is a holdover from those spellings. This leads to many spelling errors and online searches as to how to spell certain words. Look up the meaning of lieutenant and thousands of other words and pronunciations for free in the Cambridge Dictionary: https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/lieutenantCambridge Dictionary is the world's most popular online dictionary and grammar resource for learners of English. Sounding it out may help, al-loo-MIN-ee-um Theres a second i in the British form of the word, aluminium, hence the extra syllable. Do all humans on this planet belong to the same species? Officially we follow the British pronunciation for it in Canada, but plenty of people say it the American way. In smaller ships with only a single deck division, the billet is typically filled by an ensign while in larger ships with a deck department, consisting of multiple subordinate divisions, the billet may be filled by a lieutenant commander. The lieu in this word means place (think of in lieu of), and the tenant means holding, like holding a position. The two parts together referred to a placeholder for a superior. Today, the words definition and pronunciation differs depending on the country (and its military). I always suspected--and I have never seen anything to back this up--that this pronunciation was adopted because "lootenant", as the Americans pronounce it, sounds like "Loo-tenant," i.e., "individual occupying the loo (toilet)." How Many Classes The Article Are Divided Into In English? Confusion sometimes arises because, in the U.S., the word is routinely said "lootenant" (or sometimes "lyootenant"), while in the United Kingdom and other countries of the British Commonwealth the preferred pronunciation is "leftenant." In the case of lieutenant even the English themselves dont agree. Not only do many English words contain silent letters, but there are also several rules and patterns that have numerous exceptions. Colonel came to English from the mid-16th-century French word coronelle, meaning commander of a regiment, or column, of soldiers. Because the word clerk was pronounced with (r) rather than (r) in the south of England, the vowels in the word did not become (r). I'm not sure which way other English speaking countries go. Although lieutenants are no longer numbered by seniority, the post of "first lieutenant" remains. :) Mike, Washington DC, US, To read the more informative answers (including ahypothesis offered by Sean from Colorado that in British slang, of which he observes there is a great deal, the word loo refers to a toilet, and therefore he assumesthat they do not want to give the impression that a leftenant is a resident of a toilet, as in loo-tenant), read the full piece at The Guardians website . This word was then adopted by the French, who translated the term in their own language, converted the word colonnello to the word coronel. Have some class. William Franklin, Brighton, UK. Why is lieutenant pronounced 'left-tenant' in some varieties of - Quora To the man referencing Websters English dictionary, do yourself a favor and pick up an Oxford English Dictionary. This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. Lets help each other to perfect our writing. Conventionally, armies and other services or branches that use army-style rank titles have two grades of lieutenant, but a few also use a third, more junior, rank. In England (and her colonies, except for America of course) it is pronounced "leftentant" because it is bastardization of the French pronunciation, which has that ever-so-French, back of the mouth, oooggff sound at the end of the first syllable. Pronunciation of lieutenant as / lftnnt / ( listen) lef-TEN-nt is generally associated with the armies of British Commonwealth countries and the Republic of Ireland, while / lutnnt / ( listen) loo-TEN-nt is generally associated with the United States military. They drop the f and say le-tenant.. Many people say us but if they are writing will use the word me. Why do British people pronounce lieutenant wrong? Edmund's work as a teacher, administrator, and researcher has given him a unique perspective on how students learn and what educators can do to foster a love of learning in their students. The United States Marine Corps and British Royal Marines[88] both use army ranks, while many former Eastern-Bloc marine forces retain the naval form[clarification needed]. Because thats the word. The rank insignia of LTA is two pips.[99]. Is there a difference between lieutenant and leftenant? Is lieutenant pronounced leftenant? The Israel Defense Forces rank segen () literally translates as "deputy", which is equivalent to a lieutenant. No, they are not. Its not that neatly divided. . On submarines and smaller Coast Guard cutters the billet of first lieutenant may be filled by a petty officer. Why do British people pronounce lieutenant as 'lef-tenant'? Why do British pronounce lieutenant with an F? Go well beyond grammar and spell checking. I think it's because in England it was the royalty and nobility who decided how to pronounce words, and they wanted to be fancy and pronounce their own language incorrectly. British English. [3] The majority of sixteenth- and seventeenth-century sources show pronunciations with /v/ or /f/, but Bullokar has /liu/.[4]. So if no-one gives you the real answer, as no-one has been able to give me the real answer, at least you have this speculation. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. This comes from Queen Victorias husband, Prince Albert. To the man referencing Websters English dictionary, do yourself a favor and pick up an Oxford English Dictionary. In Portugal, sub-lieutenant is the rank of a junior naval officer graduated from a civil university or promoted from a NCO rank, while the equivalent rank of an officer graduated in the naval academy is designated midshipman. Why do the British say Zed? Glossophilia. Above him in those U.S. services comes a first lieutenantlieutenant in the British Armyand then a captain. You might want to rule the world from Washington but its still English. [2] The early history of the pronunciation is unclear; Middle English spellings suggest that both pronunciations may have existed even then. ", "tat des Lieux: Formation des forces de dfense et de scurit sur les droit de l'enfant au Niger", "Pakistan Army Ranks with Salary and Insignia", " 11 2010 293 " , ", "Gradabzeichen und Farben der Achselschlaufen", " ", "Journal officiel de la rpublique togolaise", "Tonga Defence Services (Amendment) Regulations 2009", "TRKMENISTANY KANUNY Harby borlulyk we harby gulluk hakynda (Trkmenistany Mejlisini Maglumatlary 2010 ., 3, 58-nji madda) (Trkmenistany 01.10.2011 . the American rank. In navies, it is often equivalent to the army rank of captain; it may also indicate a particular post rather than a rank. Something may be bloody marvellous or bloody awful. It also falls in the same category as Colonel, pronounced kernel. Zero is a little bit longer to pronounce, hence the oh. Lets and lets are homophones, meaning theyre pronounced the same but have different meanings. This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. The leftenant is left(tenant, English) in tenancy of the platoon, in lieu(tenant, French) of the captain. The word, lieutenant is a French word, as are most military ranks. In Canada, the representative of the Canadian monarch in each province is called the Lieutenant Governor. Press J to jump to the feed. The rare Old French variant spelling leuf for Modern French lieu ('place') supports the suggestion that a final [u] of the Old French word was in certain environments perceived as an [f]. The lower ranked soldier on the "left" protected the senior officers left side. Privacy Policy. Lieutenant (Maldivian Marine Corps)[90]. A few of them are: Its understandable why these words cause so much confusion. It is roughly equivalent to an inspector in the British and Canadian police forces. But how did this word (and its weird pronunciation) come to be? Infographic : Using Cognitive Functions To Unlock the ENFP Personality Types Unique Gifts , Creative Advertising : Showcase and discover creative work on the world's leading online platform f. The Oxford Dictionary suggests that it might be because at some point, the "u" in the French word "lieu" was pronounced as a "v" (which was not uncommon in French given the derivation from the Latin "v" for many "u"s). According to military customs, a lower ranking soldier walks on the left side of a senior officer. What is the meaning of the French word lieu? This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. In the UK zebra is pronounced as zeh-bruh, with a short e, so without the ee sound. The rank of Lieutenant was formerly used in areas outside of the Metropolitan Police. Its thought that zee was last used in England during the late 17th century; however, usage is difficult to trace, because pronunciations for letters were not often written down. This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. Assistant Superintendent(Bangladesh Police), Assistant Superintendent(Indian Police Service), Police Lieutenant(Philippine National Police), Police Lieutenant(National Police of Ukraine), US Police 2nd Lieutenant(Police ranks of the United States), US Police 1st Lieutenant(Police ranks of the United States), In the Singapore Civil Defence Force, the rank of lieutenant (LTA) is the second-lowest commissioned rank. The lower ranked soldier on the "left" protected the senior officers left side. and our Why do Canadians say lieutenant? In most cases, the lieutenant governor is the highest officer of state after the governor, standing in for the governor when they are absent from the state or temporarily incapacitated. Then some Italian texts began influencing the English written form and we ended up with the l making its way back into the word, but the French pronunciation had already stuck. By the mid-17th century, the spelling and French pronunciation had changed to colonnel. It is pronounced in the old-fashioned English way, /ref/, so that it rhymes with safe and waif. why is lieutenant pronounced leftenantrobert downey jr house malibu. Learn how to pronounce "lieutenant" in British English and American English. why is lieutenant pronounced leftenant - dramaresan.com A lot of times, the way words are spelled in English can leave many people scratching their head. [citation needed], Pronunciation of lieutenant as /lftnnt/ (listen) lef-TEN-nt is generally associated with the armies of British Commonwealth countries and the Republic of Ireland, while /lutnnt/ (listen) loo-TEN-nt is generally associated with the United States military. In British English, it is mostly used as a sign of repect for a woman of superior rank, say, in the military or police. Today, were going to give you the history (and correct spelling and pronunciation) of two military words: colonel and lieutenant. Compare the best options for 2023. Some areas of Britain say darbee, some say derbee. Like I said I have actually nothing at all to back this up, it's a wild stab in the dark I came up with because I've wondered the same thing for years and could never find any information about it. This spelling was to stick to the pronunciation, and not the opposite, as there is not lefttenant in old French. Over time the word locum evolved into the French word lieu, which is pronounced in French as it is spelled. In March 1813, the US Army created the rank of third lieutenant. [citation needed]. When Edmund isn't working or speaking, he enjoys spending time with his family and friends. (The German name for the Thames is die Temse). A number of city and burgh police forces in Scotland used the rank of lieutenant (and detective lieutenant) between inspector and superintendent from 1812 to 1948. The British monarch's representatives in the counties of the United Kingdom are called Lords Lieutenant. the British pronunciation of the word. Press question mark to learn the rest of the keyboard shortcuts. It is possible that when the English heard the French pronounce the compound word lieutenant, they perceived a slurring which they heard as a v or f sound between the first and second syllables. So maybe they encouraged the alternate pronunciation to keep rank and file soldiers from making a joke of their superiors' title? 18 3 While some air forces use the army rank system, the British Royal Air Force and many other Commonwealth air forces use another rank system in which flight lieutenant ranks with an army captain and naval lieutenant, a flying officer ranks with an army lieutenant and a pilot officer with an army second lieutenant.