[geeks] Re: geeks digest, Vol 1 #2157 - 20 msgs

[Bill Bradford]

On Wed, Nov 20, 2002 at 04:16:08PM -0600, Jonathan C. Patschke wrote:
> On Wed, 20 Nov 2002 dana at dtn.com wrote:
> > "Ain't" is also in the dictionary.
> I could've sworn that "ain't" is in the OED[0] as an oudated contraction
> of "am not", with all the other uses it has gained being incorrect.

mrbill at ohno:~> mw aint
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Can't find aint, but here are some suggestions

         1. ain't
         2. int
         3. innate
         4. Innuit
         5. Inuit
         6. airt
         7. aina
         8. inti
         9. into
        10. Ainu
        11. aine
        12. inst
        13. intl
        14. -n't

mrbill at ohno:~> mw ain\'t
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Main Entry:     ain't 
Pronunciation:  'Ant
Etymology:      contraction of are not
Date:   1778
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  <the wackiness of movies, once so deliciously amusing, 
ain't funny anymore -- Richard Schickel>  <I am telling you--there ain't going 
to be any blackmail -- R. M. Nixon>. It is used especially in journalistic 
prose as part of a consistently informal style  <the creative process ain't 
easy -- Mike Royko>. This informal ain't is commonly distinguished from 
habitual ain't by its frequent occurrence in fixed constructions and phrases  
<well--class it ain't -- Cleveland Amory>  <for money? say it ain't so, 
Jimmy! -- Andy Rooney>  <you ain't seen nothing yet>  <that ain't hay>  <two 
out of three ain't bad>  <if it ain't broke, don't fix it>. 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  <Ain't She Sweet>  <It Ain't Necessarily So>. Our 
evidence shows British use to be much the same as American.

I love my "mw" script.  Think I got it off freshmeat..

Bill

-- 
bill bradford
mrbill at mrbill.net
austin, texas