I have a problem with the last post that represents my main problem with the word “ain’t” in common usage. Jeanie’s reply (#7) has always been my understanding as well. Booklover is right when he states that the correct idea for ‘I ain’t got no choice’ is ‘I HAVE no choice’. @ibooklover123: We ain’t joking: ain’t is incredibly versatile, a kind of one-stop-shop for saying something isn’t, didn’t, or wasn’t. I ain’t got nothing else to add but a little detail: “Ain’t” may sound really bad for some listeners when it comes to redundancy: I ain’t got nothing = I got nothing. It should always be ‘aren’t I’. You don’t hear “aren’t I” being used in speech very much either. Subscribers get access to our archives with 800+ interactive exercises! Oh, you sneaky. it’s right so stop saying am I not? Also, in a vein different from writing, that is “pronunciation”— why do the pretentious pronounce “piano player” as Peenist?—when the only pronunciation is PYA-nist. With Lester Bibbs, Tobin Costen, Side 2 Side. In fact, it’s hard to imagine these sayings without ain’t. Is it “bad English”? I know it’s not correct, but sometimes it’s good just to break the rules. It is used a lot in songs, books, movies,etc. I ain’t got no choice = I got no choice. I wasnât able to find anything online related to the origins of this incorrect usage. “Are I not” is usually used as “Am I not” in my studies. “Alligator” vs. “Crocodile”: Do You Know The Difference? ð. No I'm ain't. We have haven’t, hasn’t, weren’t, shouldn’t, and don’t. =P Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Ainât nothing but a fart hey, ainât nothing but a meat steakâ âTummy why? . It's staying down that's wrong. Double negatives are taught as beeing wrong and that’s exactly the reason why we use it so often: just to have someone’s attention. There is no statute of limitations for grammar or diction errors. High brow it ain’t.’. Or am I beeing naive once more? Phil. because there was a standard expression they could use: because there were standard forms for those: I pointed out that the usual “standard” form of “aren’t I” was not exactly grammatical. Redefine your inbox with Dictionary.com updates! Ain’t is recorded in the early 1700s, with amn’t found a century before. . At worst, it gets stigmatized for being “ignorant” or “low-class.” At best, it’s considered a no-no in formal writing. You dirty. We’ve used some in this article already. The usage of ain't for the forms of to be not was established by the mid-18th century, and for the forms of to have not by the early 19th century. Never miss a beat with MailOnline's latest news for women. ‘Ain’t I’ should never be used. Saying ainât no sounds incorrect to me because it is a double negative. We don’t say ‘He doesn’t knows’ nor ‘I did slept’. Pretentious people annoy the heck out of me. After having read Emma’s comment above, I remembered hearing local English kids using both “I ain’t” and “I i’nt” – as if it had stemmed from “I isn’t”. No I ain't You sneaky. The Rev. What is the origin of this particular construction? “They could, however, say or write In some dialects ain't is also used as a contraction of do not, does not, and did not. It was a “word” because of common usage regardless of the speaker’s intentions. I consider it a judg(e)ment call. We can find ain’t (and its related, historic forms like an’t) in the mouths of upper-class characters in literature, for instance. If you understand there are people ignorant of its correct usage who will consider you uneducated for using it, even better. Another pet peeve of mine are the pretentious people who say Enough, Absolutely. It ain't nuttin wrong with you Me and you (we do it nasty, nasty) [Warren G] I once knew a girl named LaShonda short little cute thing with a pinky diamond ring she was iceless my game was so priceless givin her a facial I was G'd up from the feed up pushin the bent with the midnight tint They think they are being “educated’ by saying “aren’t I”–not realizing that they just failed a question on an IQ test. And once upon time, we had hain’t for has not and have not—much like ain’t. It is just that you´ve gotta know when and how to use it. Is it that bad? In the translation “I ain’t got no choice” the poster claims that it really means “I got no choice” but really it means “I have no choice”. I took a leap and quit, and it paid off. Later, while still very young, I learned that, “ain’t” aint a word and the reasoning behind it. I have a feeling it will soon be added to the dictionary. Describing an orgasm comes much easier to me than writing that word. You'll also get three bonus ebooks completely free. Hilariously, one of my pet peeves is the use of apostrophes in plurals. Umm…Philip; the instrument “piano” (as opposed to the direction on sheet music) has three syllables (“pee-AN-oh”, not “pya-no”), and the person who plays one is properly called a “PEE-an-ist” (again, three syllables — not a “pee-nist”). Ainât nothing wrong with that,â she said, also stretching âwrongâ out a bit and intoning in a way sometimes referred to as a âdrawl,â but which is also part of the Black English tool kit. anyway. you’d better say ain’t I? Did you catch them? Say it ain’t so: Say it isn’t so? The statement, “I assume it is a matter of emphasis,” baffles me, but not to the degree which “freshness” baffles me in toilet tissue commercials. At worst, it gets stigmatized for being âignorantâ or âlow-class.â At best, itâs considered a no-no in formal writing. But, I have to be contrary I guess, ain’t would be a 100% usable word if constructing dialogue for any number of our fellow citizens, in thousands of areas across the country. I consider it a judg(e)ment call. Dave, I’m really sorry to ask you such a dumb question, but I can’t help it: Why did my sentence baffle you? Ain't definition is - am not : are not : is not. (If we’re only to phrase any given thought in particular manners dictated by convention rather than rule, poets should be quickly out of function). Copyright © 2020 Daily Writing Tips . Enter your email for word fun in your inbox every day. It can also mean have not, has not, do not, does not, or did not. I’m sorry if I caused more confusion. It’s awful and will make you sound like Dick van Dyke in Mary Poppins. Man No I ain't. Thatâs why itâs important to distinguish between being understood, e.g., âthe reason whyâ and âI ainât got no money,â and speaking and writing clearly, concisely, and correctly, e.g., Or am I wrong? 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