Dear Sally,
I really doubt anyone used these contractions in normal speech,-I think
they were part of a special literary language.
I may be cynical, but I think these contractions proved so lasting
because they were jolly useful if you needed a monosyllable for the metre.
Kind regards,
grasshopper
From: Sally Evans <[log in to unmask]>
Subject: Re: Bathing by Starlight-Sue
T
In-Reply-To: <003701c1b4e9$3a659500$d84986d9@tinypc>
on 13/2/02 11:50 pm, grasshopper at [log in to unmask]
wrote:
> and used archaic
> words and special abbreviations like 'oft' and 'e'er' and a rather
a rather belated reply, Grassy: I think people actually used to say oft etc
in normal speech at those times.... Sally ee
|