Re: [tied] English.

For myself at least, "ain't" is the 100% regular negative for of 'to
be'. I/you/he/we/they ain't. Of course, it is rarely used, if at all.

--- In cybalist@..., "Piotr Gasiorowski" <gpiotr@...> wrote:
> A good point about "ain't". It seems to have supplanted
> several older negatives. Here are some attested but
> "non-standard" developments:
>
> have not/has not > ha'n't (Walker 1775 wrote it rhymed with
> <aunt>; in America it would rhyme with <can't>)
>
> is not > i'n't/en't (late 17th century)
>
> am not > a'n't (in non-rhotic English homophonous with
> <aren't>, hence "I'm clever, aren't I?")
>
> are not > /a:nt/ with the loss of /r/ so early that the
> negative managed to be affected by the Great Vowel Shift >
> /E:nt/ > /eint/
>
> So a whole family of phonetically similar negatives --
> /a:nt/ ~ /Ent/, /int/ ~ /ent/, /eint/ (perhaps even
> <won't>) -- eventually merged into a single form spelt
> <ain't>.
>
> I ain't got no money (= I ain't rich).
> There ain't gonna be no dinner.
> She's cute, ain't she?
> It just ain't right.
>
> Etc.
>
> Piotr
>
>
>
>
>
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Rex H. McTyeire" <rexbo@...>
> To: <cybalist@...>
> Sent: Friday, July 20, 2001 2:40 PM
> Subject: RE: [tied] English.
>
>
> > You're right, Piotr..but the "ain't" is broader, and still
> very much in use.
> > Even if it began as simply "have not"; it is used as:
> >
> > have not (I ain't been watching.)
> > will not (I ain't!)
> > am not (I ain't going.)
> >
> > I'm trying to come up with a "do not" : Cain't. "Ain't
> care" doesn't work,
> > you must add -ing, = Am not caring, or Ain't a care
> (have not) ..No "do
> > not' anywhere :-)
> >