Lieutenant

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Common military ranks
Navies1 Armies2 Air Forces3
Admiral of
the Fleet		 Field Marshal Marshal of
the Air Force
Admiral General Air Chief Marshal
Vice Admiral Lt. General Air Marshal
Rear Admiral Major General Air Vice-Marshal
Commodore Brigadier Air Commodore
Captain Colonel Group Captain
Commander Lt. Colonel Wing Commander
Lt. Commander Major Squadron Leader
Lieutenant Captain Flight Lieutenant
Sub-Lieutenant Lieutenant Flying Officer
Warrant Officer Sergeant Major Warrant Officer
Petty Officer Sergeant Sergeant
Leading Rate Corporal Corporal
Seaman Private Aircraftman
1 in the English-speaking world          2 also some Air Forces
3 In many Commonwealth countries

Lieutenant (abbreviated lt. or Lieut.) is a military, naval, paramilitary, fire service or police officer rank.

Lieutenant may also appear as part of a title used in various other organizations 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 Canadian politics.

Contents

[edit] 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 cognate Latin locum tenens). The Arabic word for lieutenant, mulāzim (Arabic: ملازم‎), also means "holding a place".

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.

In the nineteenth century those 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" but failed and the French word is still used as well as its Lieutenant-Colonel variation in both the Old and the New World.

[edit] Pronunciation

In contemporary American English, the word is usually pronounced [ˈ/lu'tɛnənt/](Audio (help·info)).[1][2]. 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.

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/[3] and New Yorker Richard Grant White, born in 1822, claimed never to have heard the /lju-/ form in his youth,[4] the /lɛv-/ or /lɛf-/ form was by 1893 considered old-fashioned.[1] 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.[5]

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 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".[6]

[edit] Armies, Marines and Air Forces

Conventionally, armies and other services or branches which use army-style rank titles (e.g. air forces, marine corps etc.) have two grades of Lieutenant. Some countries, however, use three. The Royal Air Force and some other Commonwealth air forces use a different rank system. Some Marine Corps use naval ranks.

[edit] Lieutenant/First Lieutenant

Main article: 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", and in Great Britain, is pronounced "left-ten-ant".

The Lieutenant was once the second officer in an infantry company or cavalry troop. The Captain was the company or troop commander and the third officer had a variety of titles, hence the difference in modern day rank titles. Some countries used First Lieutenant and Second Lieutenant for the two junior officers; some used Lieutenant and Senior Lieutenant; some used Lieutenant and Sub-Lieutenant; some (such as Britain) used Lieutenant and Ensign (infantry) or Cornet (cavalry). When the latter ranks were changed to Second Lieutenant, the senior rank remained as Lieutenant.

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.

A Lieutenant usually commands a platoon or similar unit.

In the Royal Air Force and some other Commonwealth air forces, the equivalent rank is Flying Officer. From 1 April 1918 to 31 July 1919, the Royal Air Force maintained the rank of lieutenant. It was superseded by the rank of flying officer on the following day.

In the East-European countries the equivalent is Senior Lieutenant.

[edit] 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. Officers commissioned from the ranks may miss out the rank altogether. The rank is used throughout the English-speaking world. In non-English-speaking countries, the equivalent rank title may translate as "Second Lieutenant", "Lieutenant", "Sub-Lieutenant", "Junior Lieutenant", "Alférez" (Spanish Army and Air Force), "Alférez de Fragata" (Spanish Armada), "Fenrik" (Norwegian Army), "Ensign", or "Leutnant" (German Army).

A Second Lieutenant usually also commands a platoon.

In the Royal Air Force and some other Commonwealth air forces, the equivalent rank is Pilot Officer.

[edit] Third Lieutenant

Most countries do not maintain a third rank of Lieutenant. Those that do are all non-English-speaking, so the term "Third Lieutenant" is not actually used. The rank title may actually translate as "Second Lieutenant", "Junior Lieutenant", "Sub-Lieutenant" or "Ensign".

The Soviet Union used three ranks of Lieutenant, and so all Warsaw Pact countries also standardised their ranking system with three ranks. Some of the former Soviet and Warsaw Pact nations have now discarded the third rank, however.

Countries with Third Lieutenant equivalent ranks include:

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 Lieutenants, 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 of the Air Force Academy and Air Force ROTC the summer before their fourth and final year before graduation and commissioning.

[edit] Sub-Lieutenant

Main article: Sub-Lieutenant

In many navies, a sub-lieutenant is a naval commissioned or subordinate officer, ranking below a lieutenant.

[edit] Police Lieutenant

Used in some police forces in the United States. It is normally roughly equivalent to the British Police Inspector.

[edit] Rank insignia

A Royal Navy Lieutenant's sleeve/shoulder insignia
A Royal Navy Lieutenant's sleeve/shoulder insignia
A US Navy Lieutenant's sleeve/shoulder insignia
A US Navy Lieutenant's sleeve/shoulder insignia

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'/black background. This pattern was copied by the United States Navy and various Air Forces for their equivalent ranks grades (see Flight Lieutenant).

Unlike the United States Navy, which uses different insignia to distinguish specialists, the Royal Navy and other Commonwealth navies differentiated between line and specialist officers by placing coloured bands (known as 'lights') between the braids. These were abolished in the RN in 1955 (with other navies following suit), except for scarlet for medical officers (introduced in 1863) and orange for dental officers (introduced in 1924), which are still used. The former colours were: light blue for navigating officers (1863–1867 only), and in the 20th century for instructor officers; white for paymaster officers (from 1863); purple for engineer officers (from 1863); silver grey for shipwright officers (from 1918); dark green for electrical officers (from 1918); maroon, later replaced by salmon pink, for wardmaster officers (commissioned medical assistants) (from 1918); and dark blue for ordnance officers (from 1918).

Rarely seen these days is the rank insignia worn on formal tail-coats, which comprises a silver anchor and a star on a shoulder-board covered with gold lace.

In armies, marines and other services, there is much greater variation. 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. Naval lieutenants also wear bars in the same configuration as their equivalents in the other services. In the United States services stars are used for flag- and general-rank insignia. In the British Army and Royal Marines a Lieutenant is distinguished by two diamond-shaped "pips" on the rank slide.

Prior to the 1968 unification of the Canadian Forces, the Canadian Army and Royal Canadian Navy followed the British pattern for second lieutenants and lieutenants. After unification, a second lieutenant wore a single gold ring around the cuff of the "CF Green" uniform and on shirt-sleeve epaulettes. A Lieutenant wore a single gold ring with a thinner one above it. On paper, these ranks applied to "army", "navy" and "air force" personnel, but in practise, aboard ship "naval" personnel (the former RCN was a very strong opponent of unification) continued to use the "acting sublieutenant", "sublieutenant" and "lieutenant" titles, until these were recognised by the Canadian Department of National Defence for Canadian Forces Maritime Command personnel. In the mid-1980s, the "naval" and "air" components reverted to uniforms similar to the former RCN and RCAF. Maritime Command kept their naval ranks but Air Command continued to use "second lieutenant" and "lieutenant" rather than reverting to pre-1968 RCAF ranks.

[edit] See also

Look up Lieutenant in
Wiktionary, the free dictionary.
v • d • e
U.S. commissioned officer ranks Flag of the United States
  Officer
Candidate		 O-1 O-2 O-3 O-4 O-5 O-6 O-7 O-8 O-9 O-10 Special (wartime only)
Inactive grade		 Special
(post war honor only)
Second Lieutenant / Ensign First Lieutenant / Lieutenant, Junior Grade Captain / Lieutenant Major / Lieutenant Commander Lieutenant Colonel / Commander Colonel / Captain Brigadier General / Rear Admiral (lower half) Major General / Rear Admiral (upper half) Lieutenant General / Vice Admiral General / Admiral General of the Army / General of the Air Force / Fleet Admiral (no authorized insignia)
Air Force: Cadet (CDT)/OT 2nd Lt 1st Lt Capt Maj Lt Col Col Brig Gen Maj Gen Lt Gen Gen Gen of the Air Force (no equivalent)
Army: CDT/OC 2LT 1LT CPT MAJ LTC COL BG MG LTG GEN GA General of
the Armies
Marine Corps: Midn/Cand 2ndLt 1stLt Capt Maj LtCol Col BGen MajGen LtGen Gen (no equivalent) (no equivalent)
Navy: MIDN/OC ENS LTJG LT LCDR CDR CAPT RDML RADM VADM ADM FADM Admiral of
the Navy
Coast Guard: CDT ENS LTJG LT LCDR CDR CAPT RDML RADM VADM ADM (no equivalent) (no equivalent)
PHSCC: (no equivalent) ENS LTJG LT LCDR CDR CAPT RDML RADM VADM ADM (no equivalent) (no equivalent)
NOAA Corps: (no equivalent) ENS LTJG LT LCDR CDR CAPT RDML RADM VADM (no equivalent) (no equivalent) (no equivalent)
v • d • e
Commissioned Officer ranks of the Flag of the United Kingdom British Armed Forces
Student Officer OF(D) OF-1 OF-2 OF-3 OF-4 OF-5 OF-6 OF-7 OF-8 OF-9 OF-10
Royal Navy O Cdt Mid SLt Lt Lt Cdr Cdr Capt Cdre RAdm VAdm Adm Adm of the Fleet
Royal Marines 2Lt Lt Capt Maj Lt Col Col Brig Maj-Gen Lt Gen Gen
Army O Cdt 2Lt Lt Capt Maj Lt Col Col Brig Maj-Gen Lt Gen Gen FM
Royal Air Force OC APO / Plt Off Fg Off Flt Lt Sqn Ldr Wg Cdr Gp Capt Air Cdre AVM Air Mshl Air Chf Mshl MRAF


[edit] Notes

  1. ^ a b c d e f Oxford English Dictionary.
  2. ^ American Heritage Dictionary, s.v. "Lieutenant".
  3. ^ J. R. Clemens, American Speech 7 (1932), 438.
  4. ^ H. L. Mencken, The American Language, 1921; 4th edition (1936), p. 345.
  5. ^ The Maven's Word of the Day, 7 January 2000.
  6. ^ A. D. Taylor, Customs of the Navy, 1954.