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Meant vs. mean't

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Latest post Thu, May 14 2009 10:07 PM by Philip. 5 replies.
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Anonymous  +  179146 Thu, 05 Jan 06 01:03 AM

Why do some people spell "meant", and others spell it "mean't" ?

As in what I meant to write was "I mean't it when I said I love you"
Anonymous
Mister Micawber  +  179152 Thu, 05 Jan 06 01:11 AM

Ignorance.  It is not a contraction, but I suppose that some people, unfamiliar with the -t suffix (learnt, spelt, meant, etc), think there's a letter missing.
Mister Micawber
Joined on Wed, Aug 4 2004
Yokohama
Veteran Member 30,780
'The question is,' said Humpty Dumpty, 'which is to be master-- that's all.'
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Anonymous, 2 yr 81 days ago

There IS a contraction. There IS a missing letter (althouth 'spelt' IS spelled 'spelled' with no contraction) and 'learning not' and 'meaning not' has no meaning for 'the ignorant' (you, maybe?). Lighten up and get with it! English is variable. And up for adaption.

nona the brit  +  413565 Mon, 03 Sep 07 01:11 PM
It is not a contaction. It's the past form of mean. It isn't a contraction of mean not. 
nona the brit
Joined on Wed, Sep 22 2004
England
Veteran Member 11,713
The name says it all.
Anonymous, 191 days ago

Meant is a hold over from middle English.  It is not a contraction, and adaptability aside, the English language is mutilated all the time by people.  So to set the record straight, it may have been a contraction in Middle English, but basically it's considered a hold over and there is no mean't!!  That would be an incorrect spelling.

Philip  +  730061 Thu, 14 May 09 10:07 PM
The only place I can think of that you could find a legitimate use of mean't would be in verse by someone such as Shakespeare for the purpose of meter ['mean it'].  And even then I'm not sure it would be written as one word.
Philip
Joined on Thu, Jun 23 2005
Veteran Member 8,733
At reise er at leve! - H. C. Andersen
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