Look up ain't in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.

Aint aint a word and I aint gonna say it. I edited this myself. Infact, anyone can so NEVER COME HERE AGAIN!!!!!! Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ... It has been suggested that French Wiktionary be merged into this article or section. ...

Ain't is a contraction originally for "am not" and "are not", but now typically meaning "is not", "am not", "are not", "has not", or "have not". In some dialects it is also used as a contraction of "do not", "does not", and "did not", as in I ain't know that. The word is a perennial issue in English usage. In traditional grammar, a contraction is the formation of a new word from two or more individual words. ... In linguistics, prescription is the laying down or prescribing of normative rules of the language. ...

Controversy

Critics say frequent use of ain't is a marker of basilectal — which is to say, "vulgate" or "common people" speech. The same applies for using i'n'it (normally written as innit) instead of "isn't it". There is little justification for this judgment on etymological or grammatical grounds, but it remains a widespread belief that the word is "not a word" or "incorrect".^[1] In linguistics, a basilect is a dialect of speech that has diverged so far from the standard language that in essence it has become a different language. ... Not to be confused with Entomology, the study of insects. ... For the surname, see Grammer. ...

During the nineteenth century, with the rise of prescriptivist usage writers, ain't fell under attack. The attack came on two fronts: usage writers did not know or pretended not to know what ain't was a contraction of, and its use was condemned as a vulgarism — a part of speech used by the lower classes.^{[citation needed]} Perhaps partly as a reaction to this trend, the number of situations in which ain't was used began to expand; some speakers began to use ain't in place of is not, have not, and has not.^{[citation needed]} Alternative meaning: Nineteenth Century (periodical) (18th century — 19th century — 20th century — more centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 19th century was that century which lasted from 1801-1900 in the sense of the Gregorian calendar. ... In linguistics, prescription is the laying down or prescribing of normative rules for the use of a language. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with Vulgar. ...

Ain't would solve one logical problem of English grammar; it would serve as a useful contracted inverted form in the question "Ain't I?" Many prescriptivists prefer "Aren't I" in this situation; this is illogical in conjugation (the Hiberno-English and Scottish English form Amn't I? follows other patterns), and for speakers of non-rhotic accents may only be a baroque spelling of one possible pronounciation of the eighteenth century an't. Ain't is also obligatory in some fixed phrases, such as "Say it ain't so" and "you ain't seen nothing yet." Under grammatical analysis of some dialects of nonstandard English, such as African-American vernacular English (AAVE), use of ain't is in fact required in some conditions. In AAVE, ain't is used as a substitute for hasn't in certain past tenses. Thus, one would say "she ain't called me" for "she hasn't called me". English grammar is a body of rules specifying how meanings are created in English. ... In linguistics, conjugation is the creation of derived forms of a verb from its principal parts by inflection (regular alteration according to rules of grammar). ... Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ... Scottish English is usually taken to mean the standard form of the English language used in Scotland, often termed Scottish Standard English. ... In linguistics, a contraction is the formation of a new word from two or more individual words. ... English pronunciation is divided into two main accent groups, the rhotic and non-rhotic, depending on when the phoneme (the letter r) is pronounced. ... Note: This page or section contains IPA phonetic symbols in Unicode. ...

Ain't is also found to be a stereotyped word for most peoples from the south-eastern United States, and is commonly used in most casual conversational settings. Modern usage notes in dictionaries note that ain't is used in a self-conscious way by some speakers and writers for a deliberate effect: what Oxford American Dictionary describes as "tongue-in-cheek" or "reverse snobbery", and what Merriam-Webster Collegiate calls "emphatic effect" or "a consistently informal style". An example of this effect would be "Ain't ain't a word 'cause it ain't in the dictionary." Most usage writers continue to condemn use of the word in an unselfconscious way.

Origin and Early Usage

Ain't arose toward the end of an eighteenth century period that marked the development of most of the English contracted verb forms such as can't, don't, and won't. The form first appears in print in 1778. It was preceded by an't, which had been common for about a century previously. An't appears first in print in the work of Restoration playwrights: it is seen first in 1695, when William Congreve wrote I can hear you farther off, I an't deaf,^[2] suggesting that the form was in the beginning a contraction of "am not". But as early as 1696 Sir John Vanbrugh uses the form for "are not": These shoes an't ugly, but they don't fit me.^[3] At least in some dialects, an't is likely to have been pronounced like ain't, and thus the appearance of ain't is more a clarified spelling than a new verb form. In some dialects of British English, are rhymed with air, and a 1791 American spelling reformer proposed spelling "are" as er. Ain't in these earliest uses seems to have served as a contraction for both am not and are not. (17th century - 18th century - 19th century - more centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 18th century refers to the century that lasted from 1701 through 1800. ... The English language is a West Germanic language that originates in England. ... In traditional grammar, a contraction is the formation of a new word from two or more individual words. ... It has been suggested that Verbal agreement be merged into this article or section. ... Refinement meets burlesque in Restoration comedy. ... Romeo and Juliet by Ford Madox Brown A play, written by a playwright, or dramatist, is a form of literature, almost always consisting of dialog between characters, and intended for performance rather than reading. ... William Congreve (January 24, 1670 – January 19, 1729) was an English playwright and poet. ... Sir John Vanbrugh in Godfrey Knellers Kit-cat portrait, considered one of Knellers finest portraits. ... Spelling reform generally attempts to introduce a logical structure connecting the spelling and pronunciation of words. ...

Related Words and Usage

The related word hain't is an archaic and non-standard contraction meaning has not or have not. It can be found in literature, particularly in Mark Twain's stories such as The Adventures of Tom Sawyer. It is reminscent of hae (have) in Lowland Scots. Samuel Langhorne Clemens (November 30, 1835 – April 21, 1910),[1] better known by the pen name Mark Twain, was an American humorist, satirist, writer, and lecturer. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with Tom Sawyer. ... Scots refers to the Anglic varieties spoken in parts of Scotland. ...

Examples

• Hall of Fame pitcher Dizzy Dean, who became a play-by-play broadcaster after his playing days ended, was chastised by critics for using that word on the air. His response has sometimes been quoted as, "A lot of folks who don't say 'ain't', ain't eatin' regular!" [1]

• Lewis Carroll may or may not have been tweaking purists in his children's book, Through the Looking Glass, when the character Tweedledee said to Alice, "If it was so, it might be; and if it were so, it would be; but as it isn't, it ain't. That's logic."

• "Say it ain't so, Joe!" reportedly said by a young baseball fan to Shoeless Joe Jackson after the fan learned about the Black Sox scandal involving throwing the 1919 World Series.

• In the 1939 film The Wizard of Oz, upon receiving his medal, the Cowardly Lion exclaims, "Look what it says: 'Courage'. Ain't it the truth, ain't it the truth!"

• The Hollywood Argyles' 1960 novelty song Alley Oop, about the comic-strip caveman, contains the spoken comment, "He sho' is hip, ain't he!"

• Christina Aguilera's hit song Ain't No Other Man

• In 1980, the New Orleans Saints were called the Aints because of their losing season.

• "It Ain't Like That," a song by Alice in Chains, is another example of the usage of ain't in popular culture.

• It Ain't Half Hot Mum - a 1974 BBC comedy series charting the exploits of a Royal Artillery Concert Party - a theatrical troupe - based in India during the Second World War. Created by Jimmy Perry and David Croft.

The National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum, located at 62 Main Street in Cooperstown, New York, is a semi-official museum operated by private interests serving as the central point for the study of the history of baseball in the United States and beyond, the display of baseball-related... Jay Hanna Dizzy Dean (January 16, 1910–July 17, 1974) was an American pitcher in Major League Baseball, elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame. ... Charles Lutwidge Dodgson (Lewis Carroll) - believed to be a self-portrait Charles Lutwidge Dodgson (January 27, 1832 – January 14, 1898), better known by the pen name Lewis Carroll, was an English author, mathematician, logician, Anglican clergyman, and photographer. ... Joseph Jefferson Shoeless Joe Jackson (July 16, 1888 – December 5, 1951) was a left fielder in Major League Baseball who played for the Philadelphia Athletics, Cleveland Indians and Chicago White Sox. ... 1919 Chicago White Sox team photo The Black Sox Scandal refers to a number of events that took place around and during the play of the 1919 World Series. ... The 1919 World Series was played between the Chicago White Sox of the American League and the Cincinnati Reds of the National League. ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... The Hollywood Argyles were a doo wop band put together by producer/songwriter Kim Fowley, then still a student at University High School in West Los Angeles. ... Alley Oop USPS stamp Alley Oop was a character created in 1932 by American cartoonist V. T. Hamlin. ... Christina Maria Aguilera (born December 18, 1980) (IPA pronunciation: )[1] is an American pop and R&B singer, songwriter and video director. ... Aint No Other Man is the Grammy-winning lead single released by American singer Christina Aguilera from her third studio album Back to Basics (2006). ... City New Orleans, Louisiana Team colors Old Gold, Black, and White Head Coach Sean Payton Owner Tom Benson General manager Mickey Loomis Mascot Gumbo League/Conference affiliations National Football League (1967–present) Eastern Conference (1967-1969) Capitol Division (1967; 1969) Century Division (1968) National Football Conference (1970-present) NFC West... Alice in Chains is a popular and influential grunge band that formed in Seattle, Washington in 1987, and was one of the most commercially successful bands from the Seattle grunge music scene, selling over 10 million albums worldwide (counting only their three studio albums and their EP Jar of Flies). ... It Aint Half Hot Mum was a British sitcom about the adventures of a Royal Artillery Concert Party, broadcast between 1974 and 1981, and written by Jimmy Perry and David Croft, the creators of Dads Army. ... The British Broadcasting Corporation, usually known as the BBC (and also informally known as the Beeb or Auntie) is the largest broadcasting corporation in the world in terms of audience numbers, employing 26,000 staff in the United Kingdom alone and with a budget of more than GB£4 billion... Mushroom cloud from the nuclear explosion over Nagasaki rising 18 km into the air. ... Jimmy Perry (1923- ) is a writer and actor, most famous for writing the BBC sitcom Dads Army with David Croft. ... David Croft (born September 7, 1922 in Sandbanks, United Kingdom) is a writer, producer and actor. ...

References

1. ^ "Ain't", entry in Merriam Webster's Dictionary of English Usage, E. Ward Gilman, ed., (Merriam-Webster 1989) ISBN 0-87779-132-5
2. ^ William Congreve, Love for Love, act 3, scene 7 (1695)
3. ^ Sir John Vanbrugh, The Relapse (1696)