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Path: utzoo!linus!philabs!cmcl2!seismo!lll-crg!dual!ptsfa!rob
From: rob@ptsfa.UUCP (Rob Bernardo)
Newsgroups: net.nlang
Subject: Re: The word "won't".
Message-ID: <763@ptsfa.UUCP>
Date: Mon, 29-Jul-85 17:41:28 EDT
Article-I.D.: ptsfa.763
Posted: Mon Jul 29 17:41:28 1985
Date-Received: Wed, 31-Jul-85 23:46:45 EDT
References: <565@rtech.UUCP> <1216@sjuvax.UUCP>
Reply-To: rob@ptsfa.UUCP (Rob Bernardo)
Distribution: net
Organization: Pacific Bell, San Francisco
Lines: 21

In article <1216@sjuvax.UUCP> iannucci@sjuvax.UUCP (iannucci) writes:
>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.
>        The word 'will' comes from the German verb 'wollen', meaning to want.
>...  My best guess is that the 'o' in 
>'wollen' carried over into the English contraction.

English 'will' does not COME from German 'wollen'. They both come from
the same Germanic verb 'welon'. 
-- 


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