Do you think ain't should belong in the dictionary why?

Answer 1

No, cause it ain't not proper

Answer 2

Ain't IS in the dictionary.


The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language: Fourth Edition. 2000

http://www.bartleby.com/61/63/A0156300.html

Nonstandard 1. Contraction of am not. 2. Used also as a contraction for are not, is not, has not, and have not.
USAGE NOTE: Ain't has a long history of controversy. It first appeared in 1778, evolving from an earlier an't, which arose almost a century earlier as a contraction of are not and am not. In fact, ain't arose at the tail end of an era that saw the introduction of a number of our most common contractions, including don't and won't. But while don't and won't eventually became accepted at all levels of speech and writing, ain't was to receive a barrage of criticism in the 19th century for having no set sequence of words from which it can be contracted and for being a “vulgarism,” that is, a term used by the lower classes, although an't at least had been originally used by the upper classes as well. At the same time ain't's uses were multiplying to include has not, have not, and is not, by influence of forms like ha'n't and i'n't. It may be that these extended uses helped fuel the negative reaction. Whatever the case, criticism of ain't by usage commentators and teachers has not subsided, and the use of ain't is often regarded as a sign of ignorance. •But despite all the attempts to ban it, ain't continues to enjoy extensive use in speech. Even educated and upper-class speakers see no substitute in folksy expressions such as Say it ain't so and You ain't seen nothin' yet. •The stigmatization of ain't leaves us with no happy alternative for use in first-person questions. The widely used aren't I? though illogical, was found acceptable for use in speech by a majority of the Usage Panel in an earlier survey, but in writing there is no acceptable substitute for the stilted am I not?

Answer 3

I think that you will find it in a concise dictionary. It may not be good grammar but it certainly has been used enough to become a real word.

I know for a fact that the word "funner" is now in the dictionary.

UPDATE: HERE THE CUT AND PASTED INFO FROM WEBSTER'S ONLINE:


ain't
One entry found for ain't.
Main Entry: ain't
Pronunciation: 'Ant
Etymology: contraction of are not
1 : am not : are not : is not
2 : have not : has not
3 : do not : does not : did not -- used in some varieties of Black English
usage Although widely disapproved as nonstandard and more common in the habitual speech of the less educated, ain't in senses 1 and 2 is flourishing in American English. It is used in both speech and writing to catch attention and to gain emphasis . It is used especially in journalistic prose as part of a consistently informal style . This informal ain't is commonly distinguished from habitual ain't by its frequent occurrence in fixed constructions and phrases . In fiction ain't is used for purposes of characterization; in familiar correspondence it tends to be the mark of a warm personal friendship. It is also used for metrical reasons in popular songs . Our evidence shows British use to be much the same as American.

Answer 4

It is in the dictionary as commen usage, but it is not correct grammar.

From what verb infinitive is it truly derived and contracted.?
"To Ain"?

I ain
You ain
He/she/it ains
We ain
You all ain
They ain

I ain't
You'ain't
He/she/it ain't
We ain't
You all ain't
They ain't

Do we discard "is" and "are" ?

Great, huh?

You teacher may agree with you, I suppose. Ain't it.

Geezzz!

Answer 5

yes it should - dictionaries these days tend toward reflecting spoken language rather the prescribing appropriate language.

descriptive rather the prescriptive

Answer 6

Is hillbilly in the dictionary?

Answer 7

Even if it is removed, people ain't going to stop using it. :)

Answer 8

Yes because most of people in the US use it.

Answer 9

Only in a Hillbilly one.

Answer 10

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ain't