Tell me more ×
English Language & Usage Stack Exchange is a question and answer site for linguists, etymologists, and serious English language enthusiasts. It's 100% free, no registration required.
up vote 1 down vote favorite

I have found much trouble identifying the old word 'tis.

Does it mean "this is" or "it is?"

I have done some research and found that the dictionaries conflict.

One said 'tis :An old English word used in the place of this is ; a contraction of this is.

I showed this to my brother and he showed me another one it said 'tis :an old English contraction of the words it is.

as in:

'tis(this is) the voice of the lobster....or

'tis(it is) the voice of the lobster....

So how?

share|improve this question
Could you please show the dictionary from which you got the definition of "this is"? – Thursagen Aug 1 '11 at 21:10
Just think about "'tis I". Who would ever read that as "this is I"? – FumbleFingers Aug 1 '11 at 21:32
It's not an unreasonable question, whoever marked it down: the dialect word "tother" shows that a "th" can change to a "t" in contractions. But it does seem unlikely, and I too wonder which dictionary it was which listed "this is". – Colin Fine Aug 2 '11 at 11:37

2 Answers

up vote 3 down vote

"'Tis" is a contraction of "it is", from all of the dictionaries I've searched. The little apostrophe just before 't' shows that there's a missing letter(the way can't shows that there the missing letters 'no').

Thus, "'tis" in your example would it :

It is the voice of the lobster.

Other examples are :

'Tis the season to be jolly.
'My country, 'tis of thee.

A similar expression is 'tiwll

share|improve this answer
1  
Another similar expression is 'Twas, such as `Twas the night before Christmas – Phil Aug 1 '11 at 21:25
Aye, and a good one too. – Thursagen Aug 1 '11 at 21:31
3  
Do you two guys know each other, or is the clash of names just a coincidence? – FumbleFingers Aug 1 '11 at 21:35
@Fumble,.... he's my brother – Thursagen Aug 1 '11 at 22:38
@Thursagen ...really? – simchona♦ Aug 2 '11 at 6:09
show 1 more comment
up vote 3 down vote

'tis is still used in English, even if it is chiefly poetic, or literary. It is the contraction of it is.

share|improve this answer

Your Answer

 
discard

By posting your answer, you agree to the privacy policy and terms of service.