Re: French
From: | John Cowan <jcowan@...> |
Date: | Friday, January 17, 2003, 11:59 |
Tristan scripsit:
> On the subject of French and lieutenant, where'd the /f/ come from in
> the Commonwealth pronunciation of it?
It's a mystery, though the front rounded vowel may have suggested a
fricative to anglophones.
I wonder how old this distinction is? "Did lootenants and leftenants
face one another at [the American Revolution battle of] Yorktown?"
Peter Jennings is the Canadian-born anchor of a major U.S. television
news program: supposedly, his prompter spells this word "lootenant"
so as to cue him to (mis)pronounce it. Ghu forbid the American people
should hear a pronunciation on TV that they don't understand instantly.
--
Said Agatha Christie / To E. Philips Oppenheim John Cowan
"Who is this Hemingway? / Who is this Proust? jcowan@reutershealth.com
Who is this Vladimir / Whatchamacallum, http://www.reutershealth.com
This neopostrealist / Rabble?" she groused. http://www.ccil.org/cowan
--author unknown to me; any suggestions?
Replies