From Newsgroup: alt.usage.english

Ain't can mean one of many things:

- isn't ("it ain't so")
- am not ("I ain't running")
- aren't ("they ain't coming")
- haven't ("I ain't got a clue")
- hasn't ("she ain't seen him")
- etc.

The "n't" bit is the abbreviation of 'not'. But where does the "ai" come
from? Should there be a second apostrophe in there, if it is an
abbreviation of something?

Me, I ain't got a clue.


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From Newsgroup: alt.usage.english

On 2025-10-10 13:44:59 +0000, occam said:

Ain't can mean one of many things:

- isn't ("it ain't so")
- am not ("I ain't running")
- aren't ("they ain't coming")
- haven't ("I ain't got a clue")
- hasn't ("she ain't seen him")
- etc.

The "n't" bit is the abbreviation of 'not'. But where does the "ai" come from? Should there be a second apostrophe in there, if it is an
abbreviation of something?

Me, I ain't got a clue.

In Devon you might be more likely to hear bean't (pronounced bain't) as
in the sentence "bean't be bad beans, be 'em?" once spoken to a cousin
of mine at a village fete.
--
Athel -- French and British, living in Marseilles for 38 years; mainly
in England until 1987.

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From Newsgroup: alt.usage.english

In article <mksgurFrdfvU1@mid.individual.net>, occam@nowhere.nix says...

Ain't can mean one of many things:

- isn't ("it ain't so")
- am not ("I ain't running")
- aren't ("they ain't coming")
- haven't ("I ain't got a clue")
- hasn't ("she ain't seen him")
- etc.

The "n't" bit is the abbreviation of 'not'. But where does the "ai" come from? Should there be a second apostrophe in there, if it is an
abbreviation of something?

Me, I ain't got a clue.

It's originally the contraction for "am not."

It sure broadened in meaning, though, while at the same time being
ejected from formal language.


Melissa

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From Newsgroup: alt.usage.english

On 10/10/2025 16:02, The True Melissa wrote:

In article <mksgurFrdfvU1@mid.individual.net>, occam@nowhere.nix says...

Ain't can mean one of many things:

- isn't ("it ain't so")
- am not ("I ain't running")
- aren't ("they ain't coming")
- haven't ("I ain't got a clue")
- hasn't ("she ain't seen him")
- etc.

The "n't" bit is the abbreviation of 'not'. But where does the "ai" come
from? Should there be a second apostrophe in there, if it is an
abbreviation of something?

Me, I ain't got a clue.

It's originally the contraction for "am not."

That would be "amn't". If you elide the 'm', then a'n't. It wonrCOtrCOve
been the first English word with two apostrophes.

It sure broadened in meaning, though, while at the same time being
ejected from formal language.

That ejection hasn't exactly worked, has it? It is defined in several dictionaries (hence a word), and I may even have heard it coming out of
George W.'s mouth.

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From Newsgroup: alt.usage.english

On 10/10/2025 14:44, occam wrote:

Ain't can mean one of many things:

- isn't ("it ain't so")
- am not ("I ain't running")
- aren't ("they ain't coming")
- haven't ("I ain't got a clue")
- hasn't ("she ain't seen him")
- etc.

The "n't" bit is the abbreviation of 'not'. But where does the "ai" come from? Should there be a second apostrophe in there, if it is an
abbreviation of something?

Me, I ain't got a clue.

Depending on region, I've also heard "en't", "an't", "in't", so maybe
just some vowel drift going on.

I thought I remembered "you en't seen me, right", but on checking, it's
more "ain't"

<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s6jYoagXmZE>
--
Phil B

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From Newsgroup: alt.usage.english

On 2025-10-10 08:02, The True Melissa wrote:

In article <mksgurFrdfvU1@mid.individual.net>, occam@nowhere.nix says...

Ain't can mean one of many things:

- isn't ("it ain't so")
- am not ("I ain't running")
- aren't ("they ain't coming")
- haven't ("I ain't got a clue")
- hasn't ("she ain't seen him")
- etc.

The "n't" bit is the abbreviation of 'not'. But where does the "ai" come
from? Should there be a second apostrophe in there, if it is an
abbreviation of something?

Me, I ain't got a clue.

It's originally the contraction for "am not."

One of our local newsies speaks most 'a' vowels as a long a (as in the
sound of saying the letter, not in the duration of it).

It's unfortunate in Saskatchewan because when she speaks of
'agriculture' it sound more like egg-riculture, and of course the
shortened for of it, as in 'ag business', it definitely sounds like 'egg business'.

It sure broadened in meaning, though, while at the same time being
ejected from formal language.

--
"I am just average," said Tom, meanly.

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