Colin B in 2017 wrote:...Should we pronounce his rank differently in the UK ?
He's called Lieutenant Columbo in the programme, pronounced 'Lootenant'.
In the UK, the army rank of lieutenant is pronounced 'Left-tenant'.
So, should we say it like that for Columbo ? I think not, because we don't have such a rank in our police force, so the US
pronunciation should prevail. "Left-tenant Columbo" would sound quite silly !...
Everything comes to he who waits !
I've now seen an episode of Columbo set in London: 'Dagger of the Mind' from 1972.
With such luminaries as Honor Blackman, Richard Basehart, Wilfrid Hyde-White, John Fraser & John Williams [remember him in Double Trouble ?]
In this show, the English characters pronounce it: 'left-tenant' [& yes it did sound silly] !
A mystery solved !