Kwe's't

Hen Linge

IPA^(key): /ˈkwɛst/

kwe'ss't or kw'ess't

kwe's't (regular contraction used in normal speech)

kwe es it
T'eip'en hulen kwe's't.
We have to find out what it is.
-Eithne (The Witcher, Episode 104)

I noticed that I have not been consistent in how this contraction is written. As it is here, the assumption is you have the full word kwe "what", and then cliticized forms of es "is" and it "s/he/it". A spelling of kw'es't would seem to indicate that we have the full form of es and cliticized forms of both kwe and it. It doesn't seem to make much difference here, but there are also forms like kw'eseith, where it does seem like the kwe is cliticized, since eseith is much larger and retains its full pronunciation. It seems odd that both forms should it exist. It'd be a little like having "aren't and theoretical "s'not" in the same language. We do have both "I won't" and "I'll not", I suppose. Contractions are fun things. I'd love to read a full, crosslinguistic treatment of contractions some day. (Stray note: It does seem like kw'es isn't right, though...) -David J. Peterson 12:55, 19 February 2024 (PST)