we's \'weez\ contr - Lit., "we was"; "Well, we's gunnoo, but then we decided not to." As this example illustrates, "we's gunnoo" translates to "we were going to." We's is a fascinating illustration of a culture using the rules of English grammar to satisfy its own ends: a past-tense contraction (though sometimes the term is used in the present tense) that ignores the implied disagreement in number, while at the same time disguising itself as a possessive. To the unfamiliar ear, this extreme level of grammatical ambiguity makes we's one of the most frequently misunderstood terms in the Carleton County dialect. NEXT»

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