[HPFGU-OTChatter] Re: Seeking Grammar Police Ruling - Typo's

[P. Alexis Nguyen]

Alex Hogan:
> In a day and age when the word "ain't" is actually recognized as a word in
> the dictionary, we grammar purists sometimes feel as though we should
> acquiesce. But NO! I shall never stop teaching my children proper grammar!
> It is our sworn duty to halt the influx of slang and colloquialisms
> pervading the schools and our everyday lives!


Since we have no such body (like France) to dictate language to us,
the language must therefore be fluid.  Thus being a "grammar purist"
is almost an excercise in futility.  How do we define pure?  Ain't has
been a recognized word for the majority of my life, and while I recall
being told it wasn't a word, I don't recall ever not being able to
find it in a dictionary.

I consider the OED to be the end all and be all of language
definition, but that has a decidedly British slant.  W3 might be the
best reference for the American Language crowd, but there are those
that think American Heritage is better.  Regardless of which you
subscribe to, I would submit that both of these dictionaries (which do
reference usage, slangs, colloquialisms, etc.) are fluid, and you'll
find "ain't" in all of them.

As far as Magpie's questions, here's an entry from the online Merriam-Webster:
http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ain%27t

Main Entry: ain't
Pronunciation: \ˈānt\
Etymology: contraction of are not
Date: 1749
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.


See?  It's a real word.  :)

~Ali