Colonel

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LukeJavan8
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Colonel

Postby LukeJavan8 » Mon Nov 12, 2018 12:34 pm

Colonel: the military rank. Why, also, is it pronounced with the
letter "r', when there is none in the word.
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Perry Lassiter
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Re: Colonel

Postby Perry Lassiter » Mon Nov 12, 2018 8:41 pm

I second that motion. I do have the impression that somewhere in the British Empire at sometime the word Was pronounced with three syllables including the L. I may be wrong.
pl

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call_copse
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Re: Colonel

Postby call_copse » Tue Nov 13, 2018 7:17 am

Normally the villain in a bad spy movie pronounces it tri-syllabically, in a bad foreign accent. Not sure why.

'Ahh, Col-oh-nell, I've been expecting you.'

Good choice, if not as inexplicable as lieutenant.
Iain

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Re: Colonel

Postby Audiendus » Wed Nov 14, 2018 9:03 am

Here is etymonline's explanation:
https://www.etymonline.com/word/colonel

It seems the English could not make up their minds between the French 'r' and the original Latin/Italian 'l'.

It is an interesting question how spelling and pronunciation can go different ways like this, and why some languages (notably English) are especially prone to such mismatches.

LukeJavan8
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Re: Colonel

Postby LukeJavan8 » Wed Nov 14, 2018 2:46 pm

Thanks, you all. I appreciate your feedback.
We could piggy-back "lieutenant", probably 'place-holder'
or some such. But the British 'leftenant (?) has me
baffled as well.
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call_copse
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Re: Colonel

Postby call_copse » Thu Nov 15, 2018 9:29 am

Lieutenant is the word I was referring to, it's spelled the same in British English, but pronounced correctly (if inexplicably).
Iain

LukeJavan8
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Re: Colonel

Postby LukeJavan8 » Thu Nov 15, 2018 4:33 pm

So British English spells the word "lieutenant", but pronounces
it as "leftenant"? Am I understanding you correctly?
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call_copse
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Re: Colonel

Postby call_copse » Mon Nov 19, 2018 7:33 am

Yes, that's right :D :roll:
Iain

David Myer
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Re: Colonel

Postby David Myer » Tue Nov 20, 2018 2:27 am

Yes, perhaps lieutenant as a place-holder is a rank held in an 'acting' role while the serious officers are away. In the British army anyway, lieutenant is the lowest commissioned rank so presumably a sergeant or similar was co-opted to the role after the captain had been shot?

LukeJavan8
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Re: Colonel

Postby LukeJavan8 » Tue Nov 20, 2018 1:55 pm

Yup, your thoughts make perfect sense to me, exactly the
way I'd picture it, know as little as I do of the military.

Thanks too, Iain for clearing up the lef business for me.
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Slava
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Re: Colonel

Postby Slava » Tue Dec 08, 2020 10:06 pm

Here's what the good Dr. has to say on the subject.
Life is like playing chess with chessmen who each have thoughts and feelings and motives of their own.


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