-in'
(Redirected from -in’)
See also: Appendix:Variations of "in"
Contents
English[edit]
Alternative forms[edit]
Etymology[edit]
Alternate pronunciation of -ing with /n/ instead of /ŋ/. From two sources
- the Old English present participle suffix -ende
- the Old English verbal noun suffix -ung/-ing.
The two Old English suffixes became confused in Modern English, due at least partly to the practice of spelling them both as -ing.
Suffix[edit]
-in'
- (proscribed, eye dialect) Alternative form of -ing
-
1946, Elizabeth Metzger Howard, Before the Sun Goes Down, page 31:
-
Usage notes[edit]
- In speech, the difference between the pronunciations /ɪŋ/ and /ɪn/ is usually one of formality. Most speakers tend to use /ɪŋ/ in more formal situations and /ɪn/ in less formal situations. (But there are some speakers who use mainly /ɪŋ/ or mainly /ɪn/ regardless of the situation.)
- In writing, both the /ɪŋ/ and the /ɪn/ pronunciations are usually spelled -ing. When writers use -in', as in makin', they are emphasizing the informality of the situation (or attempting, however accurately, to show the social status of the speaker).
- The [ɪn] pronunciation is more common for present participles and less common for verbal nouns.
Translations[edit]
-ing — see -ing