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From: iannucci@sjuvax.UUCP (iannucci)
Newsgroups: net.nlang
Subject: Re: The word "won't".
Message-ID: <1216@sjuvax.UUCP>
Date: Fri, 26-Jul-85 22:35:47 EDT
Article-I.D.: sjuvax.1216
Posted: Fri Jul 26 22:35:47 1985
Date-Received: Mon, 29-Jul-85 07:17:19 EDT
References: <565@rtech.UUCP>
Reply-To: iannucci@sjuvax.UUCP (iannucci)
Distribution: net
Organization: St. Joseph's University, Phila. PA.
Lines: 16

In article <565@rtech.UUCP> jeff@rtech.UUCP writes:
> Does anyone know how the contraction for "will not" came to be "won't"?
> "Willn't" seems more logical.
> -- 
> Jeff Lichtman at rtech (Relational Technology, Inc.)

        The word 'will' comes from the German verb 'wollen', meaning to want.
(cf. also the English verb "to will" meaning basically the same thing). Actual-
ly, the 'o' appears more often in the conjugation of that verb than the 'i', 
which is found only in the present tense.  My best guess is that the 'o' in 
'wollen' carried over into the English contraction.
-- 
If I could walk THAT way... 

Dave Iannucci @ St. Joseph's University, Philadelphia [40 00' N 75 15' W]
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