My opinion is that it is, despite how it came into being, it is in use, so by defacto becomes real...it's really a tortured "aren't". so saying "they ain't home" is no more wrong than spelling color, instead of colour...or center instead of centre. i was arguing with my sister in law about this.
2006-08-02 17:04:16 · 8 answers · asked by kentonmankle 2 in Society & Culture ➔ Languages
I've seen it in dictionaries, but in the definition, it doesn't set any usage standards and refers to the fact that it is not an academically correct.
2006-08-02 17:18:39 · update #1
Well, it IS in the dictionary. It's a word alright. (Alright apparently is not a word because it's not in the dictionary)
I think it is a word, regardless if language experts agree or not, because we all use and it is reponsible for songs like Christina Aguilera's "Ain't no other man". Don't hate me for loving that song.
I'm pretty annoying, ain't I?
2006-08-03 16:11:55 · answer #1 · answered by its just me!! 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Yes, it's a word. And it isn't synonymous with "aren't", either. It can be used for "am not", "is not", "are not", "has not", or "have not", as in "He ain't been here before.". It is substandard, but it is a word. I don't use it in natural speech, but a lot of people do, and that makes it a word. I probably never use "flapjacks", either, and that's absolutely a word! ("Ain't" *is* listed in some more rational dictionaries, but that's not the point. An entry is added to a dictionary because it's a new word, not the other way around.)
2006-08-03 07:45:58 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Ketonmankle,
Beg to disagree.
Ain't ain't no word.
It will become a word if
recognized and entered
into one of the English Speaking
Dictionaries.
There is an entire process for
this and it takes years, so if
you really like it, contact them
and vote for it.
I ain't kidding you!
2006-08-02 17:13:00 · answer #3 · answered by vim 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Anything you want can be a word, if you use it, then it's a word. Who cares what the dictionary says? I say it all the time.
2006-08-02 17:18:55 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Well it is in the dictionary so I guess it is a word, although it is not a good one.
2006-08-02 17:18:10 · answer #5 · answered by Joy 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I agree with you. I'd go with what people say, not with what academies and dictionaries say. People own the language.
2006-08-02 17:14:07 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Yes aint is a word but it is not proper english
2006-08-02 17:22:24 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Yes, it is a word which means "aren't"
2006-08-03 02:13:14 · answer #8 · answered by Irene N 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋