Why do the British pronounce lieutenant the way they do?

Brits pronounce "lieutenant" as "leftenant" because the word came from French (lieu meaning 'place', tenant meaning 'holding'), and in Old French, the 'u' was pronounced like a 'v' or 'f' sound, leading to spellings like "lieftenant" and "leftenant," which the British kept while Americans shifted to a "loo" sound. This "f" sound in the British version is a legacy of these older pronunciations and spellings, common in Commonwealth nations due to historical ties to the British military.

When did leftenant become lieutenant?

Such is the case with the word lieutenant. The word arrived in English from French in 1375 and within 100 years the English were pronouncing it “left-tenant” as if there were a “right-tenant” as well.

Why do Brits say Zed?

It was only some centuries after the Norman Conquest that this letter was introduced when English once again began to be written. The name for this letter was thus borrowed from the French: zed. The most common form of this letter was thus the one that is now standard in the UK and other countries.

Why do Brits pronounce Clerk as Clark?

In the 18th century, AH says, people began “r”-dropping in southern England and “clerk” came to be pronounced klak. This pronunciation spread to educated speakers elsewhere and you're likely to hear it today on the BBC. (With a broad “a” and the “r” muted, it sounds almost like “clock.”)

Do Australians say leftenant or lieutenant?

Note: The Australian Defence Force tends to follow UK custom. Lieutenant is pronounced “lootenant” in the Navy and “leftenant” in the Army and RAAF (Air Force).

British Upper Class Accent | Eton College Alumni

How do the Irish pronounce lieutenant?

Justine Giffin-Bertrand I read that it's from the French word and the English put their spin on a French word. Justine Giffin-Bertrand not in Canada or Ireland, where it's loo-tenant, a bit closer to the French pronunciation.

What is the UK version of lieutenant?

Lieutenant (UK: /lɛfˈtɛnənt/; Lt) is a junior officer rank in the British Army and Royal Marines.

How do Scots pronounce lieutenant?

Therefore, in the UK, "Lieutenant" was originally pronounced with a "v" sound instead of a "u" sound, hence "Lievtenant" which, over time, became moderated to a softer "f" sound, hence "Leff-tenant".

Why do Canadians say 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.

Why do British people pronounce schedules like that?

Brits say "schedule" (shed-yool) because the word came through Old French (from Latin schedula), which favored the "sh" sound, aligning with Germanic influences in British English for "sch-" words like schlep, while Americans adopted the original Greek pronunciation (sked-yool), following words like school and scheme, creating two distinct but historically valid pronunciations. 

Do you call a lieutenant colonel just colonel?

The rank of lieutenant colonel is often shortened to simply "colonel" in conversation and in unofficial correspondence. Sometimes, the term 'half-colonel' is used in casual conversation in the British Army. Additionally, in the U.S. Army 'light colonel' has been used informally in the past.

Why do they say leftenant in Space Marine?

It's just the British English way of saying lieutenant. Essentially, a Lieutenant was a place holder for their superiors. That's the correct pronunciation for the word lieutenant...

What is the most mispronounced British place name?

The world's most difficult place names to pronounce

Edinburgh, Worcester and Bicester top the list of UK place names outside London that internet users ask Google for help pronouncing. Within London, Marylebone, Leicester Square and River Thames are among the most confusing to say.

Why do Brits say sawr?

Where words like saw and idea come before a vowel, there's an increasing tendency among speakers of British English to insert an 'r' sound, so that law and order becomes law-r and order and china animals becomes china-r animals. Linguists call this 'intrusive r' because the 'r' was never historically part of the word.

Why do people pronounce been as Ben?

When stressed, a comparatively rare occurrence, been is most commonly a homophone of Ben in America. Those with the pin–pen merger may pronounce it as a homophone of bin even in its strong form, even though normally bin is only possible as a weak form. So their Ben becomes bin there.