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Why is the rank of Lieutenant pronounced differently in the US and Commonwealth?
The Commonwealth/UK pronounce it as "Leftenant"
The US pronounce it as "Lootenant"
1 Answer
- Anonymous7 years agoFavourite answer
The Norman French pronounced lieu was "luef" and the 'f' sound has remained in British English to this day. The British pronunciation was still used in the USA in 1793 but had almost died out except in military circles by 1893. The change in the American pronunciation is due to the influence of European immigrants applying the modern standard French pronunciation of the word.