Quote:
Originally Posted by HarryT
Absolutely. Contractions were well and truly there by the later 19th century, when Dickens wrote. But look at Austen, who was writing about 80 or so years earlier - much less common there.
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Sure, but the OP was about more recent works, I thought. Where is the evidence that contractions are generally lacking?
Looking at Pride and Prejudice, you're right that contractions are rare (but "se'ennight" was new to me). Not all authors of that time are the same.
These things follow fashions, and evolve. I remember reading in Lewis Carroll, things like sha'n't - which you don't see today.