Why is colonel spelled without an r

By the midth century, the spelling and French pronunciation had changed to colonnel. The English spelling also changed, and the pronunciation was shortened to two syllables. By the early 19th century, the current pronunciation and spelling became standard in English.

For example, where does the Bering Sea end and the Pacific Ocean begin? Mary Czolgosz, Davenport, Iowa. Yes, primates other than humans can hiccup—our orangutans do so regularly. Colonel is spelled c-o-l-o-n-e-l. So, why do Americans say colonel as if it is spelled k-e-r-n-e-l? Adding to the confusion is that "kernel" is a word of its own and one that has several meanings. We know that many languages borrow and even steal words from other languages.

The English language is probably the biggest thief of them all! It stole "colonel" from at least two countries — maybe even three. By the 15th century, Italian forces were known for being good at war. So, many Italian war terms spread across Europe, including the word "colonel.

The French also took this word from the Italians. But when they added it to their language, they changed the word "colonnelo" to "coronel. At the same time, the Spanish were also pronouncing c-o-l-o-n-e-l as k-e-r-n-e-l. It is possible that both the French and the Spanish pronunciation affected the English version of the word.

In addition to country of origin, there is something else at play in the word history of "colonel": written versus spoken language. From the very beginning, when this word came into English in the s, there were two versions of spelling and two pronunciations. By around the 17th century, the word began appearing in military treaties across Europe. In my head, I can hear her pronounce the name of our distant kinsman, "Colonel John Singleton Mosby," and I hear no r in it at all. Now here's a question for you to research: When Brits pronounce the rank of Lieutenant Colonel, why do they sometimes pronounce the word "Lieutenant" as if it were spelled "Lef-tenant?

How Did "Colonel" Become "Ker-nul"? British and American pronunciations differ, but dialects across the British Isles vary as well. Bibliography The Oxford English Dictionary , 2nd edition.