RE: Definition of Contraction:

How about we use #6.   Seems to capture it best.

 

 
Gregg

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Gregg C Vanderheiden Ph.D. 
Professor - Ind. Engr. & BioMed Engr.
Director - Trace R & D Center 
University of Wisconsin-Madison 

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From: w3c-wai-gl-request@w3.org [mailto:w3c-wai-gl-request@w3.org] On Behalf
Of Kerstin Goldsmith
Sent: Friday, May 14, 2004 8:59 PM
To: wcag wg
Subject: Definition of Contraction:

 

I believe my action item for last week was to attempt a definition of
"contraction."  Here is what I have come up with:

1)    A word, as won't from will not, or phrase, as o'clock from of the
clock, formed by omitting or combining some of the sounds of a longer
phrase. 
2)    The formation of such a word. 
3)    The act or process of contracting, shortening, or shrinking; the state
of being contracted; as, contraction of the heart, of the pupil of the eye,
or of a tendion; the contraction produced by cold.
4)    (Math.) The process of shortening an operation.
5)    Something contracted or abbreviated, as a word or phrase; -- as,
plenipo for plenipotentiary; crim. con. for criminal conversation, etc.
6)    (Gram.) The shortening of a word, or of two words, by the omission of
a letter or letters, or by reducing two or more vowels or syllables to one;
as, ne'er for never; can't for can not; don't for do not; it's for it is.


Cheers,
-kerstin