why is the word leutanant pronounced leftanant in the uk?

Answer 1

What the H_ELL is the person above me saying?

Answer 2

I think you'll find it is also spelt lieutenant. Use the spell ckeck top right of the answer box please

The word lieutenant came into Middle English from Middle French, sometime between 1325 and 1375, as a noun use of the adjective phrase lieu tenant 'place-holding'. The ultimate source of the British pronunciation "lef-TEN-ant," while not completely shrouded in mystery, remains uncertain. There are, however, a few clues.

In the time of Chaucer (1340?-1400), the distinction between the letters u and v did not yet exist in writing. Once they separated, people remained uncertain as to which sound each of these letters represented. As late as the 18th century, the use of the sound "v" for the letter "w" (and vice versa) was being roundly criticized by grammarians.

Another theory focuses on auditory rather than visual confusion. According to some scholars, the gliding sound "w" at the end of French lieu, a sound made with the lips, was heard by speakers of English as either of two other sounds involving the lips: "f" and "v." This theory has some merit if we consider that the "w" may well have been accompanied by some degree of audible friction, a kind of blowing sound.

In any case, the pronunciations with "f" and "v" are reflected in various 14th-century English spellings of lieutenant, which included leef-, leve-, lyff- and later lief-, live-, liev-, and luff-. Other early forms reflected a "w" pronunciation, among them lu-, lieu-, lyue-, and lew-.

Even after the the spelling of lieutenant settled, the "f" and "v" pronunciations remained, and variations of "lef-TEN- ant" are the usual British pronunciations today. In 1721, Dr. Isaac Watts, in his The Art of Reading and Writing English, complained that such terms are "pronounced in a very different Manner from what they are written, according to the Dialect or corrupt Speech that obtains in the several counties of England." He added that such pronunciations occur "especially among the Vulgar." John Walker, in the 1836 edition of his A Critical Pronouncing Dictionary and Expositor of the English Language, agreed, writing optimistically that "the regular sound, as if written Lewtenant, seems not so remote from the corruption as to make us lose all hope that it will in time be the actual pronunciation."

This did not happen in England, but it did happen here, largely because of the influence of Noah Webster--not only through his dictionaries but through his widely distributed American Spelling Book (1788), which sold more than 60 million copies. A passionate supporter of American linguistic independence, Webster almost single-handedly promulgated American pronunciations as well as American spellings.

Answer 3

The word 'Lieutenant' is from the French words 'lieu' meaning in absence and 'tenant' meaning holding or keeping. The combination of these words (looking after in absence) signifies the Lieutenant's duty to command the troops when superior officers are not present, being one of the lowest commissioned officers in the command chain.

The British pronunciation comes from this translation (ie. "Left-tenant" means 'left in charge') whilst the American pronunciation is merely a phonetic rendition of the French term.

Answer 4

As the u.k is the home of the English language any difference on how we say things in different countries is a corruption on our native tounge..we pronounce words as they are meant to be spoken . In other countries ie. America the spelling of the English language has become corrupt for example Colour becomes Color and Organisation becomes Organization..its all down to how the words transgress and develop in their countries usage.

Answer 5

Can't answer that, but I do think that American English has it's own direct and logical charm also American idiom seems very witty and direct. I believe that during the reign of Henry VIII at the time of the dissolution of the monasteries the monks and scholars had their work on rationalising English stopped. So British English is an amalgam of French, Latin, German, you name it!!

Answer 6

whew!...look at dat...
is ds UK vs. US eh?//

well..we cant avoid it..we cant deny d fact dat British english is far different from American english in terms of d way they pronounce & spell the words...

we ol hav our own freedom of choice!if u choose 2 pronounce it d american way y not? hu cares?

juz...say what u think is ryt...and leave dat US and UK english thingy...bcoz seriously, can u do sumthing bout it?no!!!
wat??create a new so-called 'Standard English???'

Answer 7

The word is Lieutenant, and we can pronounce it any way we want because we are English, and the English language does anything it wants to for no particular reason!

Answer 8

Yeah I know. The English language is quiet bizarre. Far pronounced FAAR - yet War is pronounced WOOr?????

Answer 9

Because the US pronounces it their way, whereas the UK pronounces it correctly.

Answer 10

originally a french word