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It's vs Tis

Posted: Mon Sep 08, 2008 12:04 am
by DavidN
I would have tried querying these within AlphaDictionary but I haven't quite figured out how to do it because I know some of you usually paste older question/answers.
When did tis migrate to it's? Are these not the contraction of the same two words?

Posted: Mon Sep 08, 2008 5:16 pm
by Perry
'Tis
abbreviation of it is, first recorded c.1450.
I couldn't find a date for when it's came into vogue.

Posted: Tue Sep 09, 2008 2:53 am
by Stargzer
I think "It is" probably came before "Tis," and that perhaps "Tis" comes from hurrying the pronunciation of "It is" with an unvoiced "I" in "It" and a liaison of the "t" in "It" with the word "is" to avoid a full stop, as in "i tis." Everyone knows how lazy we English speakers are! :)
"It is" (both words fully pronounced)

"I-tis" ("I" fully pronounce but "t" moved to next word [liaison] to avoid a full stop)

"i-tis" ("i" unvoiced and "t" moved to next word [liaison] to avoid a full stop)

"Tis" (final contraction to new word)

Posted: Sun Sep 14, 2008 5:53 pm
by sluggo
I thought it was spelled 'tis!? Innit?

Posted: Tue Sep 16, 2008 9:24 am
by Perry
I thought it was spelled 'tis!? Innit?
Yes, I believe 'tis.

Posted: Tue Sep 16, 2008 2:25 pm
by sluggo
I couldn't find a date for when it's came into vogue.
Shame on you Perry. You're a married man :P

Posted: Tue Sep 16, 2008 8:59 pm
by Perry
I couldn't find a date for when it's came into vogue.
Shame on you Perry. You're a married man :P
:lol:

Posted: Sun Sep 21, 2008 4:29 pm
by Modi
I didn't even know that it's an official word!
Which makes wonder why is it allowed when a word becomes famous enters the dictionary? Especially when it is a corrupted version of another word? or is this evolution of words?
Though it may not be common, but I think it's still there - or should I say 'tis? - and it would be good if anyone can mention similar change in words.

The current goodword may be considered the same.
Today's word has no commonly encountered relative but it is occasionally used as a verb, to somersault, which makes somersaulter a possibility. It is used metaphorically to indicate absolute joy in the phrase "to do somersaults". In several dialects this word has been further reduced to somerset by folk etymology. In some areas of the US South it has been combined with tumble to produce tumbleset with the same meaning.

Posted: Sun Sep 21, 2008 5:00 pm
by sluggo
I didn't even know that it's an official word!
I don't believe it is a word, but rather a contraction.

Posted: Mon Sep 22, 2008 1:38 pm
by Modi
noun: a word formed from two or more words by omitting or combining some sounds ("`won't' is a contraction of `will not'")
It apears that I have misunderstood the situation. Execuse my lack of knowledge.

Posted: Mon Sep 22, 2008 3:51 pm
by Perry
There is nothing to excuse. You are one of us, no? (I.e. a fellow Alpha Agoran.)

(But it's a good thing we aren't discussing tis in Arabic. LOL :oops: )

Posted: Mon Sep 22, 2008 5:31 pm
by Slava
(But it's a good thing we aren't discussing tis in Arabic. LOL :oops: )
Perry, I do accuse thee of paralipsis! No, not the having two lips kind, the other one. Now we have to talk about "tis", don't we?

Posted: Tue Sep 23, 2008 3:19 pm
by Perry
(But it's a good thing we aren't discussing tis in Arabic. LOL :oops: )
Perry, I do accuse thee of paralipsis! No, not the having two lips kind, the other one. Now we have to talk about "tis", don't we?
Far be it from me to mention such a thing, but just between us, it's (shall we say?) the prat in pratfall.

Posted: Tue Sep 23, 2008 9:09 pm
by Stargzer
You're not trying to make someone the butt of a joke, are you?

:lol:

Posted: Tue Sep 23, 2008 9:20 pm
by Stargzer
noun: a word formed from two or more words by omitting or combining some sounds ("`won't' is a contraction of `will not'")
It apears that I have misunderstood the situation. Execuse my lack of knowledge.
Modi,

Don't worry. English may not be your native language, but you seem to have a very good grasp of it. Contractions are often used in conversational speech, and most are so frequently used that they are second nature to a native speaker. I don't know when (or how) they are taught when English is taught as a Foreign Language.

Here's a joke I like to tell:
What do you call a person who speaks three languages?

Trilingual.

What do you call a person who speaks two language?

Bilingual.

What do you call a person who speaks only one language?

An American!
Sad, but mostly true. :oops: