Why do British pronounce lieutenant as leftenant?

Why do British pronounce lieutenant as leftenant?

According to military customs, a lower ranking soldier walks on the left side of a senior officer. This courtesy developed when swords were still used on the battle field. The lower ranked soldier on the “left” protected the senior officers left side. Therefore, the term leftenant developed.

How do you pronounce lieutenant in the British navy?

No one can really say why in the British Army the word is pronounced “left-tenant” but it’s notable that in the Royal Navy the pronunciation seems half way across the ocean. They drop the “f” and say “le-tenant.”

Do British say leftenant?

A Lieutenant (a leader of a platoon) is pronounced ‘Left-tenant’ in the U.K. (as he/she is left the tenancy of command). In the US however, the word is pronounced as ‘Lew-tenant’, much to British distaste. Leftenant is the U.K. and Commonwealth pronunciation. USA pronunciation of the same rank is LOOtenant.

What is a British lieutenant?

Lieutenant (UK: /lɛfˈtɛnənt/; Lt) is a junior officer rank in the British Army and Royal Marines. It ranks above second lieutenant and below captain and has a NATO ranking code of OF-1 and it is the senior subaltern rank.

Is Canada a lieutenant or leftenant?

Pronunciation. The British pronunciation of the French word “lieutenant” (as “lef-tenant”) is the official pronunciation as used by the Canadian Armed Forces, but the American pronunciation of “loo-tenant” (which is closer to the original French pronunciation) is sometimes heard outside of the military.

How do the Irish pronounce lieutenant?

It is ‘lef-tenant’ over here. But in American and Ireland it’s ‘loo-tenant’.”

Why do the British say Zed?

The British and others pronounce “z”, “zed”, owing to the origin of the letter “z”, the Greek letter “Zeta”. This gave rise to the Old French “zede”, which resulted in the English “zed” around the 15th century.

How do Irish people pronounce lieutenant?

Where did the term leftenant come from?

The word lieutenant derives from French; the lieu meaning “place” as in a position (cf. in lieu of); and tenant meaning “holding” as in “holding a position”; thus a “lieutenant” is a placeholder for a superior, during their absence (compare the Latin locum tenens).

Why is colonel pronounced weird?

“Colonel” came to English from the mid-16th-century French word coronelle, meaning commander of a regiment, or column, of soldiers. By the mid-17th century, the spelling and French pronunciation had changed to colonnel. The English spelling also changed, and the pronunciation was shortened to two syllables.