Pronouncing "lieutenant" (What did Prince Andrew's superiors in the Royal Navy ...?)

[Acsenray]

In the column “What did Prince Andrew’s superiors in the Royal Navy call him?,” Cecil said —

“Lieutenant His Royal Highness, the Prince Andrew.” (Naturally, since the British cannot stand to pronounce anything the way it is spelled, they say leftenant.)

Don Boose, writing from Yakota, Japan, commented —

It is true that in the British army the word “lieutenant” is pronounced “leftenant,” but in the Royal Navy it is pronounced much as it is in the United States, sounding something like “l’tenant.”

Cecil replied —

Time to lay off the sake, Don. A captain with the British naval staff in Washington says the {leftenant} pronunciation is used in all branches of the British armed services, the navy included.

However, taking a look at the Royal Navy’s official Web site, one finds —

The word is pronounced L’TENANT in the Royal Navy, LEFTENANT in the Army, and LOOTERNANT in the U.S. Navy.

Who is misinformed here?

[Irishman]

LOOTERNANT? LooTERnant? What proper American puts an “r” in there? It’s lootenant, as in an occupant of the privy. (I know, Americans don’t say privy either, but that had a better ring than restroom.)

[Steve_Wright]

I think this is the RN’s way of suggesting that the “e” sound is slightly longer in the US version than we in the UK would be used to. Remember, we’re (mostly) non-rhotic on this side of the pond, so we wouldn’t sound the “r” in “LOOTERNANT”… but if we said “LOOTENANT”, it would come out distinctly British-accented. At least, I think this is the reasoning.

I don’t know any naval officers, so can’t pronounce on the naval pronunciation, but I’d always heard it was “leftenant” in all branches of the service. (A Flight Lieutenant is definitely “leftenant” in the RAF; my dad rose to the dizzying heights of A/C 2 in the RAF, and I consider his information on the subject authoritative.)

[Acsenray]

I have noticed that Brits will use the “R” to indicate long, low vowels in American pronunciation for the benefit of non-rhotics, but, really, if you follow that guide, you end up sounding like a Brit failing to put on an American accent rather than an actual American.

Steve Wright, what about the R.N.?

[Steve_Wright]

I have little or no access to Royal Navy officers - Oxford is about as far from the sea as you can get in this country. There may be some Navy types attending the University in some capacity, but, frankly, I’m not too keen to find out; Oxford colleges might get the wrong impression of me if I start hanging around them looking for sailors.

If it’s any help, Stanley Baker shouts “I’m the first enant!” a lot during The Cruel Sea. But I don’t suppose that’s definitive.

[Fretful_Porpentine]

I have noticed that Brits will use the “R” to indicate long, low vowels in American pronunciation for the benefit of non-rhotics, but, really, if you follow that guide, you end up sounding like a Brit failing to put on an American accent rather than an actual American.

I think that’s about right. I’ve been trying to learn Thai, which of course has its own alphabet, from a British-published book. In transliterating things into the Roman alphabet, this book inserts r’s in some rather bizarre places. When I listen to the same words on the tapes, there’s nothing that sounds remotely like an r sound to my American ears, just a drawn-out gliding vowel.

(As a side note, it will be fun telling everybody in Bangkok that my name is Peter and I am a businessman from Manchester. I wonder if they will notice anything strange.)

[Irishman]

I vaguely understand what you mean, but can’t hear what you mean.

loo tenant

Seems obvious to me how that’s pronounced, with or without a British accent. Having troubles with the rest of it.

lut a nent
l’ tenant
loo tenant
loo teenant
looter nant
lef tenant
luf tenant
left enant
left eenant
lefty nant
left teenut

Any of these getting close?

[John_W.Kennedy]

You omit “lyoo tenant”, which is sometimes heard.

[kevlaw]

Former Royal Naval officer here.

It’s lef tenant.

I have never heard any of the other variants used for any British officer.

[Acsenray]

So what’s the explanation for the statement on the R.N.'s official Web site?