Why do we say lef-tenant when it's spelt lieutenant? There is a reason! | Grammar and Thongs

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  • Опубліковано 10 січ 2025

КОМЕНТАРІ • 52

  • @JustJimWillDo
    @JustJimWillDo 2 роки тому +6

    I served two decades in the Royal Australian Navy and it's 'lef-tennant' there too.

  • @EggShensSixDemonBag
    @EggShensSixDemonBag Рік тому +15

    I'm an American. Worked with a bunch of Brits on a military project years ago here in the US. I was out drinking with them one night and one of the guys, Mike, commented on how we "... Americans have bastardized the Queen's english." I remarked back to him, "Mike, can you understand everything I'm saying?!" He replied, "Well, yeah!" My response back shut him down... "Well I can barely understand a ****ing thing you're saying, so whose wrong and whose right here!?"
    Ahh, simpler times! We're still friends to this day.

  • @andysitton1703
    @andysitton1703 11 місяців тому +1

    It's possible that the conflation of u and v is a post-hoc rationalization, because the English pronunciation seems to have arisen at a time when we hated the French even more than we do now and a lot of words of French origin were deliberately Anglicized to disguise them. Examples: Beauchamp = "Beecham", Beauvoir/Belvoir = "Beever", De Nîmes = "Denim", M'aidez = "Mayday". And of course the military mangling isn't limited to lieutenant because we also have Colonel = "ke(r)nel".

  • @mrsamsa
    @mrsamsa 3 роки тому +28

    We pronounce it leftenant in Canada. Spent many years in the military.

    • @gappy10123
      @gappy10123 3 роки тому +2

      Not for everyone outside of the military, never heard lefttenant in my life until this morning 🤣

    • @ianism3
      @ianism3 3 роки тому +5

      @@gappy10123 that's because whenever you see a movie in Canada that deals with the military, it's probably from the US. but "leftenant" pronunciation is "normal" in Canada

    • @OfficialFFC
      @OfficialFFC 3 роки тому +3

      @@ianism3 it's the pronunciation across the whole British commonwealth I believe

    • @S11702
      @S11702 2 роки тому

      Yea I call my boss everyday Sir or Lefttenant

    • @EggShensSixDemonBag
      @EggShensSixDemonBag Рік тому

      "... not many words with three vowels in a row like that..."
      Love it!
      My last name has seven letters and only one vowel. Spelling is an amazing thing, but you Brits are even better at not using phonics. Sounds like an insult but I mean it as a compliment. Seriously.

  • @matthewmcrae60
    @matthewmcrae60 3 роки тому +13

    We pronounce it Left-tenant in Canada, both in the military and in government - each province has a Lieutenant Governor.

    • @radiofreeacab
      @radiofreeacab Рік тому

      And you sound like an absolute fool every time you do 😂 but hey maybe if you supplicate to the crown enough they'll let you little nerds be free (jk)

  • @barlotardy
    @barlotardy Рік тому +8

    I'm a simple man; I don't see an F, I don't pronounce an F.

    • @idrusidid
      @idrusidid 2 місяці тому

      I mean i dont get it either but laugh, cough and some other words dont have an F but pronounced with an F

  • @VideoHeadII
    @VideoHeadII Місяць тому

    This is the correct way to say this, we fucked it up back in the middle ages and so now that mean our way is right.

  • @rodehs688
    @rodehs688 4 роки тому +3

    This was very helpful for understanding the pronunciation in the movie 1917. Can you do one for eavesdropping?

  • @ameliaxiulan6797
    @ameliaxiulan6797 3 роки тому +27

    Damn that's very interesting- tho I am trying to figure out how you're writing backwards so fluently 😭💀

    • @chrisdyson5897
      @chrisdyson5897  3 роки тому +20

      The magic of editing!

    • @dariusus9870
      @dariusus9870 2 роки тому +2

      Mirrored image. He's right-handed but here it looks like hes left-handed

    • @son_of_heaven1767
      @son_of_heaven1767 2 роки тому +1

      @@dariusus9870 But that would still require him to write backwards so that it looks correct when mirrored.

    • @TheAdoringFan
      @TheAdoringFan 2 роки тому +5

      @@son_of_heaven1767 no it wouldn’t. The whole video is mirrored.

  • @icholi88
    @icholi88 2 роки тому +2

    Really, its cause the French beat the English to the punch on most military language and the Brits are too proud to pronounce it correctly. A long martial history of passive (sometimes active) aggression.

  • @katsu6624
    @katsu6624 2 роки тому

    Thank you for your quick explanation ! Was really interesting as a french speaker !!!

  • @jimbojambo6199
    @jimbojambo6199 3 роки тому +1

    Huh that’s cool here in Northern Ireland I’ve only heard it as lu-tenent but I don’t speak for all as a dumb little bean

  • @gappy10123
    @gappy10123 3 роки тому +1

    Love your videos!!

  • @rodehs688
    @rodehs688 4 роки тому +1

    Yessir Keep these goin! I look forward to these

  • @sandradodds9749
    @sandradodds9749 Рік тому

    In Canada pronounced same as in England !

  • @QuikVidGuy
    @QuikVidGuy Рік тому

    Is the middle ages split not backwards? Id always learned u and w split from v

  • @raven22at
    @raven22at Рік тому

    Canada we still taught to pronounce Leftenant

  • @msmeeko2685
    @msmeeko2685 Рік тому +2

    No! Canadians don't say it the way Americans say it. We are a commonwealth country and pronounce it the same way you do.

    • @b42charlie
      @b42charlie 4 місяці тому

      So in other words your wrong

  • @Arayig1982
    @Arayig1982 2 роки тому +4

    In Canada it's pronounced properly as leftenant, indeed for head of queen's provinc(es) are called Lieutenant (leftenant) Governor

    • @radiofreeacab
      @radiofreeacab Рік тому

      Lmfao imagine thinking that pronouncing a word with an imaginary extra phoneme is "correct" simply because you've been totally cucked out by your imperial owners 😂 absolutely astounding level of pathetic 😅

  • @DLV_Channel
    @DLV_Channel 3 роки тому

    Great video!

  • @bigbark4627
    @bigbark4627 2 роки тому

    Wat???! WAT???! How do I not kno the basics of my language?! 😱 I didn't even kno that I didn't even kno this 🤪 Thank you

  • @spdeokate
    @spdeokate 3 роки тому +1

    These are bhangar languages which requires to learn pronounciation
    *Salute to Indian languages* which not required to learn any pronunciation
    Read as it is what is written
    There are almost double alphabet than English language so no need to learn pronounciation 🙏👍

  • @Dr_DoomJazz
    @Dr_DoomJazz 4 місяці тому +1

    Thanks Seth Rogen

  • @Nazarene_Judaism
    @Nazarene_Judaism 5 місяців тому

    I'm a Brit and say loo- tenant

  • @ShibaMomma143
    @ShibaMomma143 5 місяців тому

    We're not in the Middle Ages. It's "LOOtenant".

  • @theequitableprose
    @theequitableprose Рік тому

    I suppose, in LIEU of telling you to go wrap yourself around a telephone pole, I should ALLEVIATE myself of you. Same root word.

  • @stevene6181
    @stevene6181 2 роки тому +1

    could you guys just pronounce it like americans tho, please.

    • @officialteaincorporated243
      @officialteaincorporated243 2 роки тому +2

      No, pronounced as leftenant is better in my personal (and many brits, Australians and Canadians) opinion

    • @gupstaa
      @gupstaa 2 роки тому +1

      @@officialteaincorporated243 I second this notion, especially as an incredibly biased Brit 😂😂

    • @ranimeRAT
      @ranimeRAT Рік тому

      @@gupstaa I prefer Lieu, as a French Englishman

  • @SuperMonkeyboy1977
    @SuperMonkeyboy1977 2 роки тому

    So would we pronounce the single word lieu as "loo" or "lef". It doesn't make sense. I think the commonwealth countries are mispronouncing it and the Americans have the correct pronunciation. After all, they were trained by the French from the revolutionary war.

  • @theequitableprose
    @theequitableprose Рік тому

    I don't care if you have a reason, it's wrong.

    • @theequitableprose
      @theequitableprose Рік тому

      It'd be like if I pronounced your channel's name as gram-mar ton tongs. It wouldn't make any goddamn sense.

  • @GuberShep
    @GuberShep 3 роки тому

    spelt?
    spelled*
    burnt?
    Burned*
    :)

    • @treydan
      @treydan 2 роки тому +4

      Burnt is actually acceptable

    • @mikaelfarro
      @mikaelfarro 2 роки тому +4

      Spelt is actually acceptable