Theory:Torchwood television discontinuity and plot holes/Everything Changes


 * Jack pronounces estrogen at the very beginning of the episode as "ee-strogen". An American would pronounce it "eh-strogen".
 * Jack is from the Boeshane Peninsula; it could be a regional aspect to it, like ordinary accents. Flashbacks in "Adam" show a young Jack saying "Mum" instead of the more American "Mom." Alternatively, Jack may have been living in the UK long enough to have become used to pronouncing certain words in their British form. In THE STOLEN EARTH he says to Gwen and Ianto "I'm sorry, we're dead" in a very English accent. Jack isn't American. He was only pretending to be American when he met the Doctor, and he kept the accent. Therefore he may say things differently.
 * Actually, that's Jack's real accent according to episodes such as Adam and Exit Wounds.
 * Speaking with an accent that sounds "American" doesn't make him American. And certainly doesn't dictate how he will pronounce any word he says.


 * We don't know if the Boeshane Peninsula is even on Earth, let alone America. Over the years there in Cardiff I'd say likely he's found that he'll not be understood by his coworkers if he uses the American term rather than the British.


 * 1. Jack is not American, he only pretended to be American, and opted to keep up the image. 2. It is quite presumptuous to claim "An American would pronounce ..." (as if all Americans pronounce everything the same way). 3. Anyone who spends an extended period in foreign company is likely to pick up at least some differences in words, pronunciations and accents from their native upbringing. And Jack has most certainly had a lot of foreign exposure.
 * 1) Agreed. However 2) No, not presumption, knowledge, research, and experience. The "eh" pronunciation is what is taught in American schools, and you must agree that it's a more technical that everyday term - products including it are referred to by brand name (or even the slang "E" by the transgender community) or usually referenced in medical situations, making it akin to the difference between "aluminum" and "aluminium". In 36 years of travel around in America, I have never heard it pronounced with an "ee". Also, the reference sites that mention it call it a dialect difference between UK and US. 3) Agreed. Good point, but not as good as the first. :)


 * Jack is from the future. Language evolves over time.


 * Jack may have simply mispronounced it. Nobody's perfect.