Poll: Airplane or Aeroplane?

[SckizoBoy]

What is this I don't even.

It's not even spelled remotely similar. How does one pronounce it as left-tenant?

The word 'lieutenant' was originally French (and actually, there was a movement in the UK to get rid of it because of the etymology... 'we don't want these French... whatever they are, cluttering up our proud military' and so on, but it failed).

It was derived from 'en lieu de le tenant' i.e. 'in place of the holder'. The 'lef' of the British pronunciation comes from an older version of the word 'lieu' spelt 'leuf' which in parts of Brittany/Normandy retained that pronunciation despite the change of the spelling to 'lieu', hence 'lieutenant' became pronounced in English France and by association, England as 'leuftenant', which it continues to be to this day.

Galling isn't it?! =P (PS, yes, I'm a limey)

Truth be told, I honestly have no idea how that pronunciation came into being. Although I prefer it still to saying Loo-tenant.

Quoted for the lesson! The more you know...

Dare pull long and I'll have your head on a spike! Scallywags and ruffians abusing vowel sounds, they're short not long. So help me God if you try and pull the wrong mirror on me.

LOL... I'm an RP spouting toff and I pronounce it with a long (round) 'O'... bring it!

 

[Private Custard]

Any country that sees how the word 'aluminium' is spelt and still can't pronounce it correctly is obviously not to be trusted when it comes to matters such as this.

And yes, outside the U.S, 'spelt' is used as the past-tense form of 'spell', as well as 'spelled'!

Well in the US 'aluminum' is spelled the way we pronounce it, so I don't think that one really matters.

http://www.ptable.com/Images/periodic%20table.png

I rest my case!