Ain't and What's Wrong with Ain't
There seems to be some curiosity about 'ain’t', perhaps because it’s in the title of my book, The Story of Ain’t.
The usage note for ain’t in Webster’s Third, published in 1961, said: “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. in the phrase Ain’t I.”
Though a mouthful, the usage note was not so inflammatory. But in a press release announcing their new dictionary, the publicists working for G. and C. Merriam Co. quoted only the most provocative part to say that ain’t was “used orally in most parts of the U.S. by cultivated speakers,” while leaving out the massively negative qualifier at the beginning and failing to mention the special situation regarding ain’t in the first person. To make matters worse, the press release said that ain’t “gets official recognition at last.” But not even this part was accurate. Ain’t had been in many dictionaries before Webster’s Third.
In short, the press release read like this: News flash! America’s most respected name in dictionaries recognizes ain’t as good English!
The result was a string of headlines playing the news for laughs. “Ain’t Nothing Wrong with the Use of Ain’t,” said the Louisville Times. “Saying Ain’t Ain’t Wrong,” said the Chicago Tribune. Others objected, also in large type, “It Ain’t Good,” said the Washington Sunday Star. “Ain’t Still Has Taint,” complained the Binghamton Sunday Press.
In an editorial, the Toronto Globe and Mail said, “A dictionary’s embrace of the word ain’t will comfort the ignorant, confer approval upon the mediocre, and subtly imply that proper English is the tool only of the snob.” The editorial went on to say that in an age like theirs, an age of very serious international problems, it was critical for language to obey rules. “How can we convey precise meanings to the Russians when we cannot convey them to each other?”
And that was just the beginning of the controversy.
I don’t spend a lot of time on the long history of ain’t in my book but, suffice to say, ain’t wasn’t always in such bad odor. It started as a London urbanism. In American English, it became the dead giveaway of hick speech. And by the twentieth century English teachers across the United States were beseeching their students to, please, avoid this terrible word. In practically any discussion of bad language, ain’t was mentioned as one of the first, if not the first, example of what must be avoided at all costs.
So, when it appeared that Webster’s Third was embracing ain’t, that was understood to be just about the most shocking thing a respectable dictionary could do.
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Aug '10
Re: Ain't and What's Wrong with Ain't
Is vernacular culture or vice versa ?
Feb '12
Re: Ain't and What's Wrong with Ain't
You ain't seen nothin' yet .. where would music be without ain't?
Ain't it grand..?
Jun '10
Re: Ain't and What's Wrong with Ain't
David:
Would you comment on where you think the proper line is between strict prescriptivism and the "anything goes" approach to language.
I hate relativism and anarchy so I believe in rules, but I recognize that a language is organic and can't be preserved in amber.
What's the proper balance?
P.S. I ordered your book after listening to your interview with John J. Miller at NRO. Can't wait to read it.
Edited on November 3, 2012 at 4:01amJun '10
Re: Ain't and What's Wrong with Ain't
doc molloy: You ain't seen nothin' yet .. where would music be without ain't?
Ain't it grand..?· 19 minutes ago
Duke Ellington without ain't?
Jul '10
Re: Ain't and What's Wrong with Ain't
As I was told many years ago, "Ain't ain't a word because ain't ain't in the dictionary."
Feb '12
Re: Ain't and What's Wrong with Ain't
Too right, sister. I posted these re ain't the other day..
Ain't misbehavin'.. It Ain't Necessarily So.. Ain't No Sunshine.. Ain't That A Kick In The Head?.. It Ain't Me, Babe.. I Ain't Got Nobody I Got It Bad (And That Ain't Good).. Gee Baby Ain't I Good To You.. It Don't Mean A Thing (If It Ain't Got That Swing).. Ain't, ain't been half bad for the lyricist down the years..
May '10
Re: Ain't and What's Wrong with Ain't
Ain't nuthin' I'm gonna lose any sleep over.
Jul '10
Re: Ain't and What's Wrong with Ain't
Ain't lettin' no Yankee dictionary tell me how to talk.
Jul '12
Re: Ain't and What's Wrong with Ain't
So a dictionary acknowledges that a particular word exists, and is in use by some people. And it also notes that that usage is widely considered incorrect. How, exactly, is that "embracing" it?
Sep '12
Re: Ain't and What's Wrong with Ain't
As a 6 year resident of south-east Arkansas, I can attest that southern speech would be impossible without this word. Phrases like "ain't done it", or "he ain't about nothin'" give the southern dialect such color and character.
Aug '10
Re: Ain't and What's Wrong with Ain't
David Skinner, Guest Contributor:
The usage note for ain’tin Webster’s Third, published in 1961, said: “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. in the phrase Ain’t I.”
I vividly remember trying to use "amn't I" instead of "aren't I" when I was a child. It just seemed the logical thing to do. "Ain't I" sounds more like "amn't I" to my ear, so I've always felt sympathy for its usage in this context.
Feb '12
Re: Ain't and What's Wrong with Ain't
If ain't causes so much trouble imagine what the double negative could do.. one of my favourite lines is Prissy in GWTW shrilling "I don't know nuthin' 'bout birthin' no babies." The story of the double negative
Like ain't, it is a fabulous literary device.. ain't language grand?
May '10
Re: Ain't and What's Wrong with Ain't
Which brings to mind the late Sparky Anderson, an eloquent man who didn't invent the triple negative but merely perfected it. After a Cincinnati rookie made a bone-headed play, Spark said after the game, "Don't worry about him. He ain't never gonna do that no more."
Sep '12
Re: Ain't and What's Wrong with Ain't
I have always thought of "ain't" as a regional thing. I grew up in the Pacific Northwest-I don't use ain't and neither does anyone in my family. I don't lose any sleep over other people using it but it isn't the way we speak.
Apr '12
Re: Ain't and What's Wrong with Ain't
There are even regional pronunciations. I've known a few who say "hain't."
Feb '12
Re: Ain't and What's Wrong with Ain't
I've often wondered late at night whether ain't had a silent h..
Dec '10
Re: Ain't and What's Wrong with Ain't
Got the vapors over ain't?
You're gonna love our other redneck words.
Start getting familiar with ustacould, then I'll come back and lay some more gems on ya.
Jun '10
Re: Ain't and What's Wrong with Ain't
Midget Faded Rattlesnake
David Skinner, Guest Contributor:
The usage note for ain’tin Webster’s Third, published in 1961, said: “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. in the phrase Ain’t I.”
I vividly remember trying to use "amn't I" instead of "aren't I" when I was a child. It just seemed the logical thing to do. "Ain't I" sounds more like "amn't I" to my ear, so I've always felt sympathy for its usage in this context. · 3 hours ago
Jacques Barzun (RIP) suggested just that. "Ain't I" fills a need, whereas "Ain't he" and "Ain't he" don't -- replicating "Aren't you" and "Isn't he".
Re: Ain't and What's Wrong with Ain't
This distinction was lost on many of the reviewers of Webster's Third. Recognizing that a word merely exists is, of course, quite different from recommending a word. But the first publication to blur this difference was Merriam's own press release.
Nov '11
Re: Ain't and What's Wrong with Ain't
Not for nothing, but d'oh was added to the OED in 2001.
The only time you should use ain't is to be be intentionally colloquial. And dictionary be damned, I'll still teach children not to say it.