Contractions combine words into a new word, often with an apostrophe in English. Pronoun and verb combinations are common, but portmanteaus are now preferred. Some contractions have historical roots, like “isn’t” from “amnot”. Older contractions like “e’en” are found in older literature.
A contraction is a written form in which a certain number of words are combined into a new word. Usually, they form when two words are used together at a high frequency, although some languages, such as French, use them to keep the spoken sound of a sentence flowing.
In English, contractions are usually represented with an apostrophe to replace the omitted letters that join words. They often consist of a pronoun followed by a form of the verb to be, such as I followed by am which merges into I’m. This is related to the concept of portmanteau, a word that directly combines two words, such as humongous as a combination of huge and enormous, or infotainment as information and entertainment. In the past, English made much more common use of contractions than in the modern age, where portmanteaus seem to be the preferred construction.
Some common examples in modern English include can’t for can’t, it’s not for isn’t, it’s because it’s, I’m for I’m, he’s for him is, he’s for him has, I don’t have for I don’t have, I I will for I will, and I would for I would.
Sometimes, contractions can be ambiguous, as in the case of He is and He was, both represented by He’s, in which case the context serves to show which formation is intended. Some have their roots in historical words or spellings that are no longer in use, and therefore look a little strange when considered as combined words. Will’t is a good example of this: the intended combination is something more like will’t as a contraction of will and not. Indeed, historically, the construction was wynnot and then wonnot, which was contracted to wo’n and later the modern one will not.
Another example of this historical root for a construction can be found in the non-standard term is not. This word started as a contraction of the words are and not, producing amnot. This word has been generalized to both am not and isn’t in the Cockney English dialect. Because of its difficult pronunciation, it eventually evolved into the modern pronunciation and spelling of isn’t, and because of its association with the Cockney dialect – considered a poor dialect by many in English grammar circles – it was relegated to English.
Some contractions have made their way from older phrases, and many people don’t even know they’re a combination of words. Examples of this include hours for the clock phrase, fo’c’s’le for forecastle, or ne’er-do-well for never do right. Even the older contractions have fallen out of common use, although they are easily found in the work of older English authors such as Shakespeare or Milton. Examples of these include e’en for even, ’twas for it was, and o’er for over. Many of these early forms may also have served the purpose of changing commonly used words and phrases from two syllables to one, helping the author match a set meter.
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