British English and "ain't"

[Baccarat]

I hear, and use, "ain't" all the time. I'm from Glasgow, Scotland and honestly, I'd be more surprised to hear someone saying "aren't" here.

Really? Do you hear "ain't" often in other areas of Scotland?

I can't say I've ever paid much attention, but just as the accent changes, it'd be pretty reasonable to assume that the way of speaking would too. I wouldn't expect to hear the same slang used in, say, Edinburgh for example. And Glasgow is rather well known for it's, ah, colourful vernacular.

 

[Naheal]

I hear, and use, "ain't" all the time. I'm from Glasgow, Scotland and honestly, I'd be more surprised to hear someone saying "aren't" here.

Really? Do you hear "ain't" often in other areas of Scotland?

I can't say I've ever paid much attention, but just as the accent changes, it'd be pretty reasonable to assume that the way of speaking would too. I wouldn't expect to hear the same slang used in, say, Edinburgh for example. And Glasgow is rather well known for it's, ah, colourful vernacular.

That would be a natural conclusion to reach, but, as the data here's suggesting, the only major dialect that doesn't use "ain't" is Australian, but even that has exceptions there.

The reason why I'm coming to this conclusion, before folks start coming to me on it, is because of the fact that the word, as people are noting here, isn't used in formal or polite conversation. If you're in a casual conversation, it's far more likely that you'll hear it. This doesn't mean that it's either a proper or slang term, it simply means that, like other languages, the conjugation of this particular pair of verbs changes based upon the type of conversation that you're having.

Really, it makes me wonder how casual and formal conversation works in the Australian dialect. I imagine that it would be similar, but there's enough of a difference there already to throw off what my initial conclusions would say.

 

[TheRightToArmBears]

Proper westcountry and bristolian people seem to use it a lot around these parts. It's such a wonderfull dialect, you never hear any other English dialects with things like 'moi luvverrrr' and the brilliant 'cheers droive' (to bus drivers).

 

[^=ash=^]

<- From North East England I occasionally say "ain't" I also use "isn't" and "aren't" when appropriate.

Captcha: mosic Godfather

xxx

 

[Not-here-anymore]

'Ain't' is indeed used regularly in english english, provided you go to the right place in England to hear it. Mostly the eastern side, I think. I use it a fair bit, anyway.

 

[The_root_of_all_evil]

Ain't is quite common here.

/etymological_hat
originally a contraction of am not, and in proper use with that sense until it began to be used as a generic contraction for are not, is not, etc., in early 19th cebtury. Cockney dialect of London; popularized by representations of this in Dickens, etc., which led to the word being banished from correct English.

It's actually a proper English word from about the 18th century.

Although, because of our melting pot, it's commonly replaced with ", innit?"

 

[Vryyk]

i usually reffer to "british english" as english. : p

Then you will confuse a lot of people We 'murricans stole the language fair and square. It was kind of a package deal when we stole an entire country from them.

 

[Gahars]

It depends where you are, even in the United States.

I live in a suburban New Jersey town, and for the most part, no one really uses the word. However, if you travel 15 minutes to Trenton, our capital, it's a lot more prominent.

 

[Magikarp]

There is a bit of ain't in central England.
I've never really understood how 'is not' contracts to ain't. I've never heard someone say 'ai not', so I assume it's just broken English.

 

[ramboondiea]

well i live in Wigan and its used round, and surrounding areas right up to Southport and right the other way to Crewe and all the places in-between

 

[Ironic Pirate]

Up here in the rural Northeast, it's heard occasionally, but not extremely frequently.

 

[zehydra]

I wished more Americans used "innit". If you're going to force a question into every sentence, I'd prefer "innit?" to "you know (what I mean)?" I swear, some people just have total aversions to statements and only speak in questions.

I've never heard any American say "innit", and when I heard a British person say it, I had no idea what it meant.

 

[zehydra]

I wished more Americans used "innit". If you're going to force a question into every sentence, I'd prefer "innit?" to "you know (what I mean)?" I swear, some people just have total aversions to statements and only speak in questions.

Personally I think whichever group came up with the word innit (my guess is either chavs or northerners) should be banned from contributing to the English language ever again. I remain hopeful that as a word it will one day die out.

Lol and that's another word I didn't know until I joined this community, "Chav", lol.
I can most assuredly say that the word doesn't exist in the States.

 

[The Man With the Soap]

I'm curious if the British Escapists here either use or hear the word "ain't" used by folks from where you're at. I'm also pretty sure that it's a regional thing for the Southwest US, too, but I'll study that at a later date.

It ain't just the Southwest. It's the whole South. It started in the Southeast I believe. Hell, I think it's pretty universal in the United States.

 

[Naheal]

Ain't is quite common here.

/etymological_hat
originally a contraction of am not, and in proper use with that sense until it began to be used as a generic contraction for are not, is not, etc., in early 19th cebtury. Cockney dialect of London; popularized by representations of this in Dickens, etc., which led to the word being banished from correct English.

It's actually a proper English word from about the 18th century.

Although, because of our melting pot, it's commonly replaced with ", innit?"

I was aware of most of that, but I wasn't aware that it was the works of Dickens and such that led to it being dropped to slang.

 

[nyeeh]

I live in the North East and I hear ain't fairly often (though always in casual conversation). I wish I could say more but alas, analysing vocabulary change (in Present Day English) is not my strong point.

That said, these conversations always interest me so I'll be sticking around.

 

[Naheal]

I live in the North East and I hear ain't fairly often (though always in casual conversation). I wish I could say more but alas, analysing vocabulary change (in Present Day English) is not my strong point.

That said, these conversations always interest me so I'll be sticking around.

I'm gathering side data at the moment for vocal communication for a study that I'm doing. I'll probably post it up here at some point when I'm done.

 

[nyeeh]

I'm gathering side data at the moment for vocal communication for a study that I'm doing. I'll probably post it up here at some point when I'm done.

Two Quick questions.

Are you only interested in vocabulary, or are you also looking at variation within other categories (phonology, syntax etc) as well?
What is your area of study? Are you examining the United Kingdom (in general terms) or a more specific area?

(hey I told you I like this stuff)

 

[Naheal]

I'm gathering side data at the moment for vocal communication for a study that I'm doing. I'll probably post it up here at some point when I'm done.

Two Quick questions.

Are you only interested in vocabulary, or are you also looking at variation within other categories (phonology, syntax etc) as well?
What is your area of study? Are you examining the United Kingdom (in general terms) or a more specific area?

(hey I told you I like this stuff)

My current study is structure and word use on the internet in comparison to verbal and written communication. Because of the nature of the internet, I have to gather data from foreign word usage.

Initially, my study was going to be on linguistic evolution and it's effects on brain chemistry and psychological development, following a hypothesis that linguistic evolution is a manifestation of a verifiable means by which we can monitor human evolution, but I realized that we have a completely separate community here that is almost completely untapped by linguistic study. So, I'm starting here and will probably use the data gathered for my current study to assist in the study that I'll do at a later date.

Also, are you studying linguistics? If not, you might want to have a look yourself. Linguists are to English professors as a Mathematician is to a Physicist. Linguists are interested in the base of what makes English work. English professors are interested in a single language.

 

[rangerman351]

I'm from New York (around brooklyn and staten island) so I here it almost every day. Plus I say it almost every day.