... You might now be questioning if ain't is even a word. [50], Ain't can be used in both speech and writing to catch attention and to give emphasis, as in "Ain't that a crying shame", or "If it ain't broke, don't fix it." Learn more. For an in-depth discussion, see Skinner David. I ain't no fool. [7] But as early as 1696 Sir John Vanbrugh uses an't to mean "are not" in The Relapse: "Hark thee shoemaker! Why are you lying? [49] In the South, the use of ain't can be used as a marker to separate cultured speakers from those who lack confidence in their social standing and thus avoid its use entirely. [3] Aren't as a contraction for are not first appeared in 1675. He's righter than a trivet! Horner. ain't meaning: 1. short form of am not, is not, are not, has not, or have not: 2. short form of am not, is not…. ain' a'n't; arn't, ar'n't; Etymology []. You han't said what you want of me.'"[15]. Eventually this led to the spelling pronunciation aren’t, with the r silent, a form for which we have little evidence before the twentieth century. Directed by Rudy Hypolite. ... An't it gratifying, Mr Pancks, though; really?'". With Omaira Alicea, Conan Harris, Jordan Holland, Thea James II. This Ain’t Normal is a comprehensive examination of everything from childrearing to healthy soil practices to the insidious ways the United States … Its use is generally considered non-standard by dictionaries and style guides except when used for rhetorical effect. There was another pronunciation of an’t, in which the vowel was drawn out and somewhat drawled. On “Foreigner,“ Pop Smoke recruits A Boogie wit da Hoodie for a slow-moving anthem in which they boast about their lavish and expensive foreign items. The strong proscription against ain't in standard English has led to many misconceptions, often expressed jocularly (or ironically), as "ain't ain't a word" or "ain't ain't in the dictionary. [6] In 1695 an't was used as a contraction of "am not", in William Congreve's play Love for Love: "I can hear you farther off, I an't deaf". [38] It is one of two negation features (the other being the double negative) that are known to appear in all nonstandard English dialects. [41], In England, ain't is generally considered a non-standard usage, as it is used by speakers of a lower socio-economic class, or by educated people in an informal manner. The use of ain't was widespread in the 18th century and is still perfectly normal in many dialects and informal contexts in both North America and Britain. [27] Ain't continued to be used without restraint by many upper middle class speakers in southern England into the beginning of the 20th century.[28][29]. A profile of the stories of gang involved youth and young adults in the high impact crime neighborhoods of inner city Boston, the street workers and social workers tasked with helping transform their lives, and the organizations attempting to provide the bridges to opportunity. The usage of ain't is a continuing subject of controversy in English. [12] Much like an't, han't was sometimes pronounced with a long "a", yielding hain't. (Hoping I wouldn't come across as a racist) So the answer is 2) The guy is not normal. An't for is not may also have filled a gap as an extension of the already-used conjugations for to be not. [24], Historically, this was not the case. (slang) (first person singular of "to be") a. no soy. The Back-to-Normal index represents how close the U.S. economy is to returning to its pre-pandemic level. As I write this column, the index tells us that the economy is operating at … To borrow a phrase from Joel Salatin: Folks, this ain't normal. The use of ain't was widespread in the 18th century and is still perfectly normal in many dialects and informal contexts in both North America and Britain. Aarts, Bart, Sylvia Chalker, and Edmund Weiner. The song channels DJ Khaled’s inspirational “major key” Snapchat mantra and is the second single from the his ninth studio album, also I'm like, "Baby, I ain't normal," rrr [Chorus] Foreigner (Grrt) Foreigner (Bah) Foreigner (Woo) Foreigner (Uh?) [6] Jonathan Swift used an't to mean is not in Letter 19 of his Journal to Stella (1710–13): It an't my fault, 'tis Patrick's fault; pray now don't blame Presto. The word ain't is a contraction for am not, is not, are not, has not, and have not in the common English language vernacular. ", December 1851", "You ain't heard nothing' yet: How one sentence uttered by Al Jolson changed the movie industry", "The Story Of Fats Domino's 'Ain't That A Shame, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Ain%27t&oldid=999841945, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, "He ain't heavy, he's my brother" has been used as the motto of, This page was last edited on 12 January 2021, at 06:18. A professional linguist explains why ain't isn't a four letter word. The dislike of ain’t rubbed off on an’t, too, which eventually led to its replacement. [27][31] Ain't has several antecedents in English, corresponding to the various forms of to be not and to have not that ain't contracts. "[35] Many commentators disapproved of the dictionary's relatively permissive attitude toward the word, which was inspired, in part, by the belief of its editor, Philip Gove, that "distinctions of usage were elitist and artificial". "It ain't as intense for you. in the phrase ain't I. These shoes an't ugly, but they don't fit me". [26] For Victorian English novelists William Makepeace Thackeray and Anthony Trollope, the educated and upper classes in 19th century England could use ain't freely, but in familiar speech only. [18] In other words, a sentence such as "She ain't got no sense" is grammatical because it generally follows a native speaker's word order, and because a native speaker would recognize the meaning of that sentence. Does English Have More Words Than Any Other Language? What does AIN'T mean? ... Before the crisis struck, the participation rate was around 66.5%. Ain't like you to hold back or hide from the light." joint, john). [16] Its origin may have been due to approximation when early African Americans acquired English as a second language; it is also possible that early African Americans inherited this variation from colonial European-Americans, and later kept the variation when it largely passed out of wider usage. [6], Ain't as a contraction for has not/have not first appeared in dictionaries in the 1830s, and appeared in 1819 in Niles' Weekly Register: Strike! It is included on The Music of Nashville (Season 6, Volume 1). Pahta, Päivi, Minna Palander-Collin, Minna Nevala, and Arja Nurmi. Information and translations of AIN'T in the most comprehensive dictionary definitions resource on … "[32] Ain't is listed in most dictionaries, including the Oxford Dictionary of English[33] and Merriam-Webster. Ain't is commonly used by many speakers in oral and informal settings, especially in certain regions and dialects. Ain’t is a negative present-tense form of the verbs be and have employed in all persons and numbers:. Why I ain't got nobody here to strike....[13] Charles Dickens likewise used ain't to mean haven't in Chapter 28 of Martin Chuzzlewit (1844): "You ain't got nothing to cry for, bless you! [47], The usage of ain't in the southern United States is distinctive, however, in the continued usage of the word by well-educated, cultivated speakers. The development of ain't for the various forms of to be not, to have not, and to do not occurred independently, at different times. [39] Ain't is used throughout the United Kingdom, with its geographical distribution increasing over time. [42] In the nineteenth century, ain't was often used by writers to denote regional dialects such as Cockney English. 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. [8], An't for is not may have developed independently from its use for am not and are not. Normalfags are typically people who enjoy mainstream things and live typical, ignorant, mundane lives. Alternative forms []. [2] As the "mn" combination of two nasal consonants is disfavoured by many English speakers, the "m" of amn't began to be elided, reflected in writing with the new form an't. Meaning of AIN'T. To this I will add ...and it will end badly. However, as it has still not been accepted into "proper" English like its counterparts won't and can't, few people see any problem with further "misuse" of the word. [25] In its geographical ubiquity, ain't is to be contrasted with other folk usages such as y'all, which is confined to the South region of the United States. Definition of 'ain't'. [21], Functionally, ain't has operated in part to plug what is known as the "amn't gap" – the anomalous situation in standard English whereby there are standard contractions for other forms of to be not (aren't for are not, and isn't for is not), but no standard contraction for am not. Throughout the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries, ain't and its predecessors were part of normal usage for both educated and uneducated English speakers, and was found in the correspondence and fiction of, among others, Jonathan Swift, Lord Byron, Henry Fielding, and George Eliot. Besides the standard construction ain't got, ain't is rarely attested for the present-tense constructions do not or does not. An't first appears in print in the work of English Restoration playwrights. O'Conner, Patricia T. and Stewart Kellerman. It's here! [20] The usage of ain't is socially unacceptable in some situations. [23], Ain't has been called "the most stigmatized word in the language",[24] as well as "the most powerful social marker" in English. 'No,' said Riderhood, 'I ain't'....'You sir! And just so you know, ain't is a word. Lexico's first Word of the Year! Today, however, it does not form part of standard English and should not be used in formal contexts. Historically, ain't has filled the gap where one might expect amn't, even in contexts where other uses of ain't were disfavored. Its usage is often highly stigmatized, and it can be used by the general public as a marker of low socio-economic or regional status or education level. asked the strange man. According to Etymology Online, the term was first attested in 1706 meaning am not, and it was used with that sense until the early 19th century, when it began to be used as a generic contraction for are not, is not, etc. Foreigner (Grrt) Foreigner (Bah) Foreigner Foreigner [Verse 2: a Boogie Wit da Hoodie] Hoodie on, it get scary Bloody Mary, Bloody Mary Christian Dior I need more Don't do Saint Laurent anymore Yeah, na-na-na, let it off Yeah, let's go [30] Contractions in general were disapproved of, but ain't and its variants were seen as particularly "vulgar". In the English lawyer William Hickey's memoirs (1808–1810), ain't appears as a contraction of aren't; "thank God we're all alive, ain't we..."[11], Han't or ha'n't, an early contraction for has not and have not, developed from the elision of the "s" of has not and the "v" of have not. Are You Learning English? As I write this column, the index tells us that the economy is operating at … No soy … "And racism to me, it shows in various different ways, and the more and more I read deeper into man, the fear that they're showing because they want their normal world. [40] It is also found throughout the United States, including in Appalachia, the South, New England, the Mid-Atlantic, and the Upper Midwest. ain't was originally a contraction of "am not" or "are not," and should only be used in the first person. In the 18th and early 19th centuries, some writers began to propound the need to establish a "pure" or "correct" form of English. [36], Ain't is found throughout the English-speaking world across regions and classes,[37] and is among the most pervasive nonstandard terms in English. See also Tieken-Boone van Ostade, Ingrid. [6] Han't appeared in the work of English Restoration playwrights,[6] as in The Country Wife (1675) by William Wycherley: Gentlemen and Ladies, han't you all heard the late sad report / of poor Mr. Some of the most common normalfag traits are ignorance to internet culture and underground media such as less well known music, anime, or video games. Today, however, it does not form part of standard English and should not be used in formal contexts "[53], Although ain't is seldom found in formal writing, it is frequently used in more informal written settings, such as popular song lyrics. I ain’t been asleep since ’96 ... One on one with the corner with no safety help I perform like Josh Norman, I ain’t normal, n*gga Just a project n*gga out in Beverly Hills, California n*gga However, if it followed the normal … [46] In American English, usage of ain't corresponds to a middle level of education,[42] although it is widely believed that its use establishes of lack of education or social standing in the speaker. Today, however, it does not form part of standard English and should not be used in formal contexts The Back-to-Normal index represents how close the U.S. economy is to returning to its pre-pandemic level. She performs it for a crowd before breaking down backstage. "), while leaving the "amn't gap" open in declarative statements. With H-dropping, the "h" of han't or hain't gradually disappeared in most dialects, and became ain't. In genres such as traditional country music, blues, rock n' roll, and hip-hop, lyrics often include nonstandard features such as ain't. How to use the word AIN'T in English (slang lesson) - YouTube Amn't as a contraction of am not is known from 1618. [34], Webster's Third New International Dictionary, published in 1961, went against then-standard practice when it included the following usage note in its entry on ain't: "though disapproved by many and more common in less educated speech, used orally in most parts of the U.S. by many cultivated speakers esp. Someone with that mentality, I believe 100% you're a racist. “I Got The Keys” is an anthem for success. Ain't is standard in some fixed phrases, such as "You ain't seen nothing yet". I ain't we ain't you ain't you ain't he/she/it ain't they ain't It represents a coalescence of the ordinary spoken contractions of not and the three relevant forms of the two verbs: . Here Are Our Top English Tips, The Best Articles To Improve Your English Language Usage, The Most Common English Language Questions. This ain’t normal!” “If they’ve offered Dak $35 million a year and over $100 million guaranteed and he’s turning it down because of an extra year, Dak is crazy,” he said. "[51] It can also be used deliberately for what The Oxford Dictionary of American Usage and Style describes as "tongue-in-cheek" or "reverse snobbery". According to the CNN Business “Back-to-Normal” index, we ain’t normal. Ain't was a prominent target of early prescriptivist writers. [54] This is principally due to the use of such features as markers of "covert identity and prestige".[54]. [5], An't (sometimes a'n't) arose from am not and are not almost simultaneously. [19] Linguists draw a distinction, however, between grammaticality and acceptability: what may be considered grammatical across all dialects may nevertheless be considered not acceptable in certain dialects or contexts. They drop references to world Webster's Third New International Dictionary, an opera about the 2008 US vice presidential debate, Linguistics for Everyone: An Introduction, The Origins and Development of the English Language, "Negation in African American Vernacular English", Language practices in the construction of social roles in Late Modern English. [dialect, spoken] [4] In non-rhotic dialects, aren't lost its "r" sound, and began to be pronounced as an't. [6] An't and ain't coexisted as written forms well into the nineteenth century—Charles Dickens used the terms interchangeably, as in Chapter 13, Book the Second of Little Dorrit (1857): "'I guessed it was you, Mr Pancks", said she, 'for it's quite your regular night; ain't it? Foreigner (Grrt) Foreigner (Bah) Foreigner Foreigner Hoodie on, it get scary Bloody Mary, Bloody Mary Christian Dior I need more Don't do Saint Laurent anymore Yeah, na-na-na, let it off Yeah, let's go Yeah, forty-five in my drawers Some people consider this use to be incorrect . In some dialects ain't is also used as a contraction of do not, does not, and did not. I'm like, "Baby, I ain't normal," rrr Foreigner (Grrt) Foreigner (Bah) Foreigner (Woo) Foreigner (Uh?) The development of ain't for to be not and to have not is a diachronic coincidence;[1] in other words, they were independent developments at different times. [34] However, Oxford states "it does not form part of standard English and should never be used in formal or written contexts",[33] and Merriam-Webster states it is "widely disapproved as non-standard and more common in the habitual speech of the less educated". The use of ain't was widespread in the 18th century and is still perfectly normal in many dialects and informal contexts in both North America and Britain. You're lying because you're scared. Often used to mean "don't have any," it literally means the opposite. "Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions: Merriam Webster's Dictionary of English Usage, Syntactic Variation in English: A Global Perspective, Non-standard English and typological principles, Uncontracted Negatives and Negative Contractions in Contemporary English, Australian English – The National Language, The Facts on File Dictionary of American Regionalisms, Appalachian and African American Lyrical Traditions, "Modern History Sourcebook: Sojourner Truth: "Ain't I a Woman? [9], An't with a long "a" sound began to be written as ain't, which first appears in writing in 1749. Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary gives an example from film critic Richard Schickel: "the wackiness of movies, once so deliciously amusing, ain't funny anymore. "[14], Like with an't, han't and ain't were found together late into the nineteenth century, as in Chapter 12 of Dickens' Our Mutual Friend: "'Well, have you finished?' [10] By the time ain't appeared, an't was already being used for am not, are not, and is not. According to the CNN Business “Back-to-Normal” index, we ain’t normal. (eɪnt ) People sometimes use ain't instead of 'am not', 'aren't', 'isn't', 'haven't', and 'hasn't'. [22] Standard dialects that regard ain't as non-standard often substitute aren't for am not in tag questions (e.g., "I'm doing okay, aren't I? Ain't meaning didn't is widely considered a feature unique to African American Vernacular English,[16] although it can be found in some dialects of Caribbean English as well. Linguistically, ain't is formed by the same rule that English speakers use to form aren't and other contractions of auxiliary verbs. Slang & Informal English E-Book Ain’t is an extremely informal (some people would say incorrect) word for isn’t, am not, or aren’t.. You might hear ain’t in songs, like Bon Jovi’s “This ain’t a love song” (This isn’t a love song). [3] Linguists consider usage of ain't to be grammatical, as long as its users convey their intended meaning to their audience. “This ain’t normal.” “It stood out from everything else that was out yet, we definitely were something new that the world never heard or seen before.” A derogatory term used to insult the antithesis of most internet dwellers. [17] It may function not as a true variant of didn't, but as a creole-like tense-neutral negator (sometimes termed "generic ain't"). The word ain't is a contraction for am not, is not, are not, has not, and have not in the common English language vernacular.In some dialects ain't is also used as a contraction of do not, does not, and did not.The development of ain't for the various forms of to be not, to have not, and to do not occurred independently, at different times. A very informal word or phrase used by a particular group or community as a substitute for standard language (e.g. Definition of AIN'T in the Definitions.net dictionary. Ain't No Normal is a song written by Caylee Hammack & Travis Meadows and performed by Scarlett O'Connor in the final season episode Second Chances. [43] A notable exponent of the term is Cockney flower girl Eliza Doolittle from George Bernard Shaw's play Pygmalion; "I ain't done nothing wrong by speaking to the gentleman" said Doolittle. [52] Star baseball pitcher Dizzy Dean, a member of the Baseball Hall of Fame and later a popular announcer, once said, "A lot of people who don't say ain't, ain't eatin'. Ain't got no cares, I ain't got no rules, I think i like living upside down. [25] It is a prominent example in English of a shibboleth – a word used to determine inclusion in, or exclusion from, a group. From there, the song only gets more emotional and raw. Isn't was sometimes written as in't or en't, which could have changed into an't. [44] Ain't is a non-standard feature commonly found in mainstream Australian English,[45] and in New Zealand, ain't is a feature of Māori-influenced English. The reason for the strength of the proscription against ain't is not entirely clear. [24] This push for "correctness" was driven mainly by the middle class, which led to an incongruous situation in which non-standard constructions continued to be used by both lower and upper classes, but not by the middle class. % you 're a racist ) So the answer is 2 ) i ain't normal meaning guy is not.. Typical, ignorant, mundane lives Minna Nevala, and began to be pronounced as a contraction are... Volume 1 ) `` to be '' ) a. no soy … Often used to mean `` do n't me! Or phrase used by many speakers in oral and informal settings, especially in certain regions and.... ] the reason for the strength of the proscription against ai n't sometimes! A phrase from Joel Salatin: Folks, this ai n't like you to back. Another pronunciation of an ’ t, too, which could have changed into a n't breaking down backstage cares... Gets more emotional and raw in most dialects, are n't lost its `` r '' sound and. As `` you ai n't was sometimes written as I n't or hai n't not or does not form of! 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