The Holy Moly

I've noticed till being used more often in formal settings. Is until evolutionizing into till? I do find it kind of odd that in shortening the word, it is lengthened by one L.

valeca

I think it's more a case of dropping the < ' >

Much like people do in 'cause when shortening because.

__________________
"...make your own nature, not the advice of others, your guide in life." --Pythia, Oracle of Apollo at Delphi

Drzava

If a language evolves usually the formal words are replaced by informal...

Yamato145

i use 'til with one "L" but uhh yeah anyway ... i think it should have to do with how its being used or if its dialogue then what character is saying it

__________________
"Those who dance are considered insane by those who can't hear the music"
-George Carlin
Why is common sense so damn uncommon in this country
peep the space: http://www.myspace.com/yamato_ishida

mammamaia

'til with one 'l' is just the proper spelling... till is an alternative to it, the extra 'l' seemingly replacing the apostrophe to make it a full word instead of a truncated/elided one...

i don't really see either one as formal or casual, and use them interchangeably, as the mood strikes... or depending on which looks/sounds best in the sentence...

does anyone here have any formalized reason for choosing one over the other?

hugs, maia

__________________
For 100% free writing help/mentoring:
www.saysmom.com

"You must BE the change you wish to see in the world." Gandhi

river-wind

Doing a quick search around dictionary.com suggests that the word 'until' has the prefix "und-" from Old Norse, and the root "-til" or "till", as in farming - turning the soil.

So it would seem that the word was "continue doing X as long as it's not yet time to till the fields".

Dropping the prefix is not proper, technically. Saying "Do x till..." would equate to "do X prepare the fields for planting...", which isn't correct sentance structure.

However, 'til or till as abbrv. of until are certainly gaining in popularity. Use it if it fits the vernacular of your story.

I use 'until' 90% of the time, and 'til occationally in dialog, depending on the person speaking.

Nimbus1944

I was ready to say I hadn't seen the double-L version before, and it must be new. But then --

'Second to the right,' said Peter, 'and then straight on till morning.'
- Barrie

Also, Entick's Dictionary (Engl., c1800) has no entry for til, but has --

Till, conj. until, to the time or degree; prep. unto.

__________________
It wouldn't be right to dream, while
Forgetting to live, it seems;
Nor would it be right to dwell on life
And yet forget our dreams.
-If There Were No Magicians

Drzava

Until the rain lets up I will wait 'til I get an umbrella to till my field

Nimbus1944

I'll bet it's hard to train an umbrella to till.

__________________
It wouldn't be right to dream, while
Forgetting to live, it seems;
Nor would it be right to dwell on life
And yet forget our dreams.
-If There Were No Magicians

mammamaia

my thoughts exactly!... i'm picturing it and wondering if one does it best with the umbrella 'deployed' or rolled?

[we're just funnin' withya, drz... no harm meant!]

hugs, maia

__________________
For 100% free writing help/mentoring:
www.saysmom.com

"You must BE the change you wish to see in the world." Gandhi

Ilan Bouchard

Here's your answer:
http://www.wsu.edu/~brians/errors/nonerrors.html#till

__________________
Ruthless comments encouraged!