Won’t: A Contraction Evolution
$0.00
“Won’t” is sometimes labeled “a weirdo” or “irregular” by spelling programs. I don’t disagree that it appears to ignore the standard contraction process.
But what if it’s following an accepted pattern one other contraction uses? What if seeing that similarity helps students remember the spelling?
Description
What is the story with “won’t”?
Is it just a weird contraction that doesn’t make sense?
Compare “won’t” to “can’t”
In Middle English, “won’t” was “wonnot”. Sometime in the 1600s, the contraction became “won’t” contracting “wonnot”. The <-no-> of “not” is replaced with an apostrophe. Is that any different than “cannot” becoming “can’t”?
This connection struck me as a student was struggling with this spelling. I looked to Chambers Dictionary of Etymology. The Chambers’s entry for “will” notes the similarity.
Etymology explains this contraction’s spelling. Weird is not so weird when we understand it.
Download this free graphic.
It shows the contraction evolution from Late Old English: wynnot to Middle English: wonnot to Modern English: won’t. And it makes the comparison to can’t.
Read more about it on the blog.
Happy Spelling!
Reviews
There are no reviews yet.