って at the end of sentence

Question

What does this って actually mean? I've got 2 translations in my head:

1. というのは　

2. と(quotative) but I can't translate this. I only know that 「犬が驚いたらしくって」means the dog looked surprised.

And why has it changed from らしい to らしく?

Thank you in advance.

Answer 1

The link provided explains why it's らしくって but not　らしくて (colloquial usage). The original post also asks why らしく is used in place of the original form らしい. I think it's because of the unassertive tone that is common in spoken Japanese. The て-form of adjective (and verb, too) allows linking to another element. For example, 可愛くてビックリした. Using the て-form at the end of the sentence therefore seems to suggest that the sentence can go on, but maybe the speaker doesn't know what to say, or doesn't want to say what s/he has in mind. This usage is commonly heard in animation. Perhaps the mood is similar to saying "I know, but...".