Saying ‘leftenant’ not ‘lieutenant’ is accurate for Outlander!
Some U.S. fans are confused at the use of the word “leftenant” in Outlander. It’s still spelled lieutenant by the way, and it’s very accurate!
There are many differences between Britain and the United States. Despite having the same language, we had different variations of that language, and that comes up in Outlander. Some U.S. fans are confused when they hear the word “leftenant” in the series, but the way it’s said is very accurate.
By the way, I only wrote it out like that so you could say it phonetically. We still write it as “lieutenant.” Isn’t English a strange language? It’s no wonder my seven-year-old is getting confused at why “ceiling” sounds like it should begin with an S and “Charlotte” sounds like it should start SH.
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Anyway, back to the lieutenant debate. It’s an odd debate that’s come up. After all, it’s only the United States out of the English-speaking countries that say “lieu” instead of “left.” The Canadians and Australians adopt the British way of saying it.
I won’t go into the history of why we say “left” instead of “lieu.” It’s a complicated answer that goes back to the origin of the world. If you really want to know more about that, I’ll leave you with this article from The Guardian.
Just know that the writers have done their research. And with a British cast, of course, they were going to read the words out as they know them. So, while you’re not used to hearing the word pronounced the way it is, just know that it’s at least correct for the show.
Next. Why watch A Place to Call Home as an Outlander fan. dark
Which words throw you off when you hear them? Has the lieutenant/leftenant debate made you look up more differences between U.S. and U.K. English? Share your thoughts in the comments below.
Outlander Season 5 premieres on Feb. 16 on STARZ.