Why do the British say leftenant instead of lieutenant?
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.
What is a lieutenant in England?
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. … The rank is equivalent to that of a flying officer in the Royal Air Force (RAF).
Why do Brits say Darby?
The pronunciation came about because of the famous British inland pirate. When asked what he’s looking for inland, he said “Dar be treasure”. It’s not that neatly divided. Some areas of Britain say darbee, some say derbee.
Why does Ichabod Crane say leftenant?
So, when Ichabod Crane says leftenant instead of lieutenant, the simple answer is, it’s the British pronunciation.
Are lieutenant and leftenant the same?
Wikitionary claims that leftenant is an archaic spelling of lieutenant. It’s an achaic spelling in English, but not in French. This spelling was to stick to the pronunciation, and not the opposite, as there is not “lefttenant” in old French.
What is a leftenant meaning?
Related to Leftenant: Sleepy Hollow. LIEUTENANT. This word has now a narrower meaning than it formerly had; its true meaning is a deputy, a substitute, from the French lieu, (place or post) and tenant (holder).
Is it spelled Sargent or sergeant?
“Sergeant” is a noun that refers to a rank in a military or police organization. Due to its pronunciation, some people misspell it as “sargent.” But the correct spelling is always sergeant, with an “e” in the first syllable and an “ea” in the second one.
Why do Brits pronounce clerk as Clark?
An extensive pronunciation note in American Heritage explains that in Middle English the “e” of “clerk” was pronounced like the one in “pet,” and the “r” was sounded. … In the 18th century, AH says, people began “r”-dropping in southern England and “clerk” came to be pronounced klak.
Why do the British mispronounce French words?
A lot of loanwords from French are pretty old, and the British pronunciation often reflects the pronunciation at the time of borrowing. Valet and Filet both came into English at the time of Middle French, when the final -t’s were pronounced.
Why do English Add R?
The short answer is that the addition of an “r” sound at the end of a word like “soda” or “idea” is a regionalism and isn’t considered a mispronunciation. Here’s the story. In English words spelled with “r,” the consonant used to be fully pronounced everywhere.