Lieutenant    

Lieutenant(N)
CF tunic braid shown
Seniority
Above:	Sub-Lieutenant
Below:	Lieutenant-Commander
Lieutenant
CF tunic braid shown
Lieutenant
CF tunic braid shown
Seniority
Above:	Second Lieutenant
Below:	Captain

Lieutenant (abbreviated Lt, LT, Lt(N) or Lieut) is a military, naval, paramilitary, fire service, emergency medical services or police officer rank.

Lieutenant may also appear as part of a title used in various other organisations with a codified command structure. It often designates someone who is "second-in-command," and as such, may precede the name of the rank directly above it. For example, a "Lieutenant Master" is likely to be second-in-command to the "Master" in an organization utilizing both such ranks. Notable uses include Lieutenant Governor in various governments, and Quebec lieutenant in Québécois politics.

Etymology

The word lieutenant derives from French; the lieu meaning "place" as in a position; and tenant meaning "holding" as in "holding a position"; thus a "lieutenant" is somebody who holds a position in the absence of his or her superior (compare the Latin locum tenens). Similar words in other languages include the Arabic mulāzim (Arabic: ملازم‎), meaning "holding a place", and the Hebrew word segen (Hebrew: סגן‎), meaning "deputy" or "second to".

In the nineteenth century, British writers who either considered this word an imposition on the English language, or difficult for common soldiers and sailors, argued for it to be replaced by the calque "steadholder." However, their efforts failed, and the French word is still used, along with its Lieutenant-Colonel variation, in both the Old and the New World.

Pronunciation

Pronunciation of lieutenant is generally split between the forms left-tenant (/lɛv'tɛnənt/ or /lɪv'tɛnənt/) and lieu-tenant (/lu'tɛnənt/ or /lju'tɛnənt/), with the former generally associated with the United Kingdom and Commonwealth, and the latter generally associated with the USA.

Early pronunciation

The earlier history of the pronunciation is unclear; Middle English spellings included both forms like lutenand and lyeutenaunt suggesting the /lju-/ pronunciation and those like leeftenant and luftenand suggesting /lɛf-/.[1] The hypothesis that the labial-terminated initial syllable arose as a spelling pronunciation conflating vocalic and consonantal v (the letters u and v were not distinguished before the eighteenth century) is rejected by the Oxford English Dictionary as "not [in] accord with the facts".[1] The rare Old French variant spelling luef for Modern French lieu "place", on the other hand, supports the suggestion that the final /w/ of the Old French word was in certain environments apprehended as a /f/ /v/.[1] The development of the αυ and ευ diphthongs in the Greek language, pronounced /av/ and /ɛv/, respectively, in Modern Greek, may lend plausibility to this explanation.

British and Commonwealth pronunciations

In 1791, English lexicographer John Walker lamented that the "regular sound" – /lju'tɛnənt/ – was not in general employ, giving the pronunciation current at the time as /lɛv'tɛnənt/ or /lɪv'tɛnənt/.[1] This is still the dominant pronunciation in English-speaking countries outside the USA. British naval tradition preserved an intermediate pronunciation: /lə'tɛnənt/. This is not recognized as current by the OED, however, and by 1954 the Royal Canadian Navy, at least, regarded it as "obsolescent" even while regarding "the army's 'LEF-tenant'" to be "a corruption of the worst sort".

American pronunciation

In contemporary American English, the word is usually pronounced [ˈ/lu'tɛnənt/] Walker's prescriptive pronunciation – which represents the regular English naturalization of the modern French word – took hold in the United States over the course of the nineteenth century; while an American dictionary of 1813 gives /lɛv'tɛnənt/ and New Yorker Richard Grant White, born in 1822, claimed never to have heard the /lju-/ form in his youth, the /lɛv-/ or /lɛf-/ form was by 1893 considered old-fashioned. The great influence exercised on American English by Noah Webster, who insisted (but inconsistently) on the congruence of orthography and pronunciation, may be partly responsible for the eventual triumph of the "regular" pronunciation in the United States.

Naval rank

Royal Navy Lieutenant bars

Since 1580 the Lieutenants in a ship had been the officers immediately subordinate to the Captain. Before the English Restoration Lieutenants were appointed by their Captains, and this inevitably led to abuses and to the widespread appointment of men of insufficient qualification. In 1677 Samuel Pepys introduced the first examination for Lieutenant, and it is from the date of this examination that their seniority was set. Lieutenants were numbered by their seniority within the ship, so that a frigate, which was entitled to three would have a First Lieutenant, a Second Lieutenant, and a Third Lieutenant. A first-rate was entitled to six, and they were numbered accordingly. At first a Lieutenant's commission was given only for the ship in which he served, but after the loss of HMS Wager and the subsequent mutiny, Lieutenants were given commissions upon passing their examination.

During the early days of the naval rank, a Lieutenant might be very junior indeed, or might be on the cusp of promotion to Captain; by modern standards he might rank with any army rank between Second Lieutenant and Lieutenant Colonel. As the rank structure of navies stabilised, and the ranks of Commander, Lieutenant Commander and Sub-Lieutenant were introduced, the naval Lieutenant came to rank with an Army Captain (NATO OF-2 or US O-3).

The insignia of a Lieutenant in many navies, including the Royal Navy, consists of two medium gold braid stripes (top stripe with loop) on a navy blue or black background. This pattern was copied by the United States Navy and various Air Forces for their equivalent ranks grades (see Flight Lieutenant).

Canadian Naval officer's rank update

Updated Canadian rank of Lieutenant.

On 5 March 2010, Conservative Member of Parliament for the riding of Stormont-Dundas-South Glengarry, Mr. Guy Lauzon, issued the following motion: ""That, in the opinion of the House, in light of the upcoming centennial of the Canadian Navy, the government should consider reinstating the Navy executive curl on its uniforms." The motion passed, and on 2 May 2010, (Battle of the Atlantic Sunday), the Minister of National Defence, the Honourable Peter Gordon Mackay, P.C., Q.C., B.A., LL.B., made the announcement of the return of the Executive Curl for Canadian naval officers.

Canadian Lieutenants will begin wearing two braids with the executive curl staring on 11 June 2010.

"First Lieutenant" in naval usage

The First Lieutenant (1st Lt) in the Royal Navy and other Commonwealth navies, is a post or appointment, rather than a rank. Historically the Lieutenants in a ship were ranked in accordance with seniority, with the most senior being termed the First Lieutenant and acting as the second-in-command. Although Lieutenants are no longer numbered by seniority, the post of "First Lieutenant" remains. In minor war vessels, destroyers and frigates the First Lieutenant (either a Lieutenant or Lieutenant-Commander) is second in command, Executive Officer (XO) and head of the executive branch; in larger ships where a Commander of the warfare specialisation is appointed as the Executive Officer, a First Lieutenant (normally a Lieutenant-Commander) is appointed as his deputy. The post of First Lieutenant in a shore establishment carries a similar responsibility to the First Lieutenant of a Capital Ship.

In the US Navy or US Coast Guard the billet of First Lieutenant describes the officer in charge of the Deck Department or Division, depending upon the size of the ship. In smaller ships with only a single Deck Division, the billet is typically filled by an Ensign while in larger ships with a Deck Department, consisting of multiple subordinate Divisions, the billet may be filled by a Lieutenant Commander. On smaller Coast Guard cutters the billet of First Lieutenant may be filled by a Petty Officer.

Lieutenant Commander

Main article: Lieutenant-Commander

Lieutenants were commonly put in command of smaller vessels not warranting a Commander or Captain: such a Lieutenant was called a "Lieutenant Commanding" or "Lieutenant Commandant" in the United States Navy, and a "Lieutenant in Command" or "Lieutenant and Commander" in the Royal Navy. The USN settled on "Lieutenant Commander" in 1862, and made it a distinct rank; the RN followed suit in March 1914. The insignia of an additional half-stripe between the two full stripes of a Lieutenant was introduced in 1877 for a Royal Navy Lieutenant of 8 years seniority, and used for Lieutenant Commanders upon introduction of their rank

Army ranks

British rank insignia for a Lt

Conventionally, armies and other services or branches which use army-style rank titles have two grades of Lieutenant, but a few also use a third, more junior, rank.

US Army insignia for a Lt

Historically the "Lieutenant" was the deputy to a "Captain", and as the rank structure of armies began to formalise, this came to mean that a Captain commanded a company and had several Lieutenants, each commanding a platoon. Where more junior officers were employed as deputies to the Lieutenant, they went by many names, including Second Lieutenant, Sub-Lieutenant, Ensign and Cornet. Some parts of the British Army, including the Royal Artillery, Royal Engineers, and fusilier regiments, used First Lieutenant as well as Second Lieutenant until the end of the 19th century, and some British Army regiments still preserve Cornet as an official alternative to Second Lieutenant.

Lieutenant/First Lieutenant

The senior grade of Lieutenant is known as First Lieutenant in the United States, and as Lieutenant in the United Kingdom and the rest of the English-speaking world. In countries which do not speak English, the rank title usually translates as "Lieutenant", but may also translate as "First Lieutenant" or "Senior Lieutenant".

There is great variation in the insignia used worldwide. In most English-speaking and Arabic-speaking countries, as well as a number of European and South American nations, full lieutenants (and equivalents) usually wear two stars and second lieutenants (and equivalents) one. The United States Army, Air Force and Marine Corps are notable exceptions. These services distinguish their lieutenant ranks with one silver bar for First Lieutenant and one gold (brass) bar for Second Lieutenant. In the British Army and Royal Marines a Lieutenant is distinguished by two diamond-shaped bath stars (or colloquially, "pips") on the rank slide.

Second Lieutenant

Main article: Second Lieutenant

Second Lieutenant is usually the most junior grade of commissioned officer. In most cases, newly commissioned officers do not remain at the rank for long before being promoted, and both university graduates and officers commissioned from the ranks may skip the rank altogether. In non-English-speaking countries, the equivalent rank title may translate as "Second Lieutenant", "Lieutenant", "Sub-Lieutenant" or "Junior Lieutenant". Non-English terms include Alférez (Spanish Army and Air Force), Fenrik (Norwegian Army), Ensign, or Leutnant (German Army), Løjtnant (Danish Army). In the US Army a Second Lieutenant may be referred to as a "butter bar" because of the gold bar that represents their rank.

Third Lieutenant

A few non-English-speaking militaries maintain a lower rank, frequently translated as "Third Lieutenant". The rank title may actually translate as "Second Lieutenant", "Junior Lieutenant", "Sub-Lieutenant" or "Ensign". The Soviet Union used three ranks of Lieutenant, and Warsaw Pact countries similarly standardised their ranking system. Some of the former Soviet and Warsaw Pact nations have now discarded the third rank.

Throughout the 19th century, the United States Army sometimes referred to Brevet Second Lieutenants as "Third Lieutenants." These were typically newly commissioned officers for which no authorized Second Lieutenant position existed. Additionally, the Confederate States Army also used "Third Lieutenant", typically as the lowest ranking commissioned officer in an infantry company.

In the US Air Force , the Third Lieutenant Program refers specifically to a training program at active duty bases for cadets the Air Force Academy, Air Force ROTC the summer before their fourth and final year before graduation and commissioning. A single silver or subdued pip is used to designate this rank.

Air force rank

Royal Navy insignia for Flight Lieutenant

While some air forces use the army rank system, the British Royal Air Force and some other Commonwealth air forces use another rank system in which Flight Lieutenant ranks with an army Captain or naval Lieutenant, a Flying Officer ranks with an army Lieutenant, and a Pilot Officer with an army Second Lieutenant. The Canadian Air Force uses the same ranks as the Canadian Army.

Other uses

The British monarch's representatives in the counties of the United Kingdom are called Lords Lieutenant. The Lord Lieutenant of Ireland performed the function of viceroy in Ireland. In French history, "lieutenant du roi" was a title borne by the officer sent with military powers to represent the king in certain provinces. It is in the sense of a deputy that it has entered into the titles of more senior officers, Lieutenant General and Lieutenant Colonel.

This page uses content from the English Wikipedia. The original article was at lieutenant. The list of authors can be seen in the page history. Information concerning use of copyright protected material can be found at the CWwiki Copyright Policy Page.