Is "ain't" a word?

My English teachers always said it wasn't, and I certainly wouldn't use it in a job interview. But it is widely used in this country, and everyone knows what you mean when you say it. Doesn't that make it a word?

It is a word used only in the familiar. It is not proper. It came about with the Southern dialect (or at least this is what I heard) and since then, many dialects in American English have adopted this word.

One of my English professors told me that "ain't" was used in the British Isles, even during the late eighteenth century. But not in formal address, of course.

Interesting... Since it is said to have originated in the Southern dialect, perhaps the people from that region immgrated from the British Isles... I know it's a longshot, but it's a shot in the dark anyway.

More about "Ain't" from en.wiktionary.org:

Etymology
From the earlier form an't, an abbreviation of are not. The supposition that the original meaning of ain't was am not is a myth. Historically, it was actually present in many dialects of the English language except that of southeast England that became the official standard.

If it ain't broke don't fix it... (if it isn't broke, don't fix it)

I ain't tellin.. (I'm not telling)

I never noticed it could be used in both first and third person!

How did ain't as an abbreviation for am not come about? From what I gather, it was present in English before the pilgrams landed at plymouth rock!

''I never noticed it could be used in both first and third person!''

I can be used in first person but it's much more commonly used in third person.

''I can be used in first person but it's much more commonly used in third person.''

It can be used in first person but it's much more commonly used in third person.

I tend to think that ''ain't'' is not a word because it's not the proper thing to say. Use ''am not'', ''aren't'' and ''isn't'' instead.

I think similar thing I think about pronouncing ''loch'' as ''lok''. All Scots and Irish and some English & Welsh pronounce the ch in a similar way to the German ch in "ich". Dictionaries give the option of "loK"or "loKH" but anyone who lives near to a loch always uses the KH sound. My accent is west coast Scottish and so I always pronounce ''loch'' with the ''KH'' sound.

I think the same thing also when people don't pronounce the ''b'' in words like ''comb'', ''lamb'', ''plumb'' and pronounce the ''mn'' ending words like column'' and ''condemn'' with the [m] in ''gum'' instead of with a palatalised [m]. In my accent the ''m'' in those ''mb'' ending words is pronounce and the ''mn'' in ''mn'' ending words is pronounced as [m_j].

For some reason they've added ''ain't'' to the dictionary though.

''I think similar thing I think about pronouncing ''loch'' as ''lok''. All Scots and Irish and some English & Welsh pronounce the ch in a similar way to the German ch in "ich". Dictionaries give the option of "loK"or "loKH" but anyone who lives near to a loch always uses the KH sound. My accent is west coast Scottish and so I always pronounce ''loch'' with the ''KH'' sound.''

The second ''I think'' was a typo.

If it ain't said, it ain't a word. Otherwise, it's a word.

>>'I think similar thing I think about pronouncing ''loch'' as ''lok''. All Scots and Irish and some English & Welsh pronounce the ch in a similar way to the German ch in "ich". Dictionaries give the option of "loK"or "loKH" but anyone who lives near to a loch always uses the KH sound. My accent is west coast Scottish and so I always pronounce ''loch'' with the ''KH'' sound.''

The second ''I think'' was a typo. <<

The German sound in ICH is not the CH of loCH, but the sound some speakers pronounce at the beginning of the word "yeast". Like a very breathy devoiced "y".

I believe Swiss German speakers indeed have the /x/ sound of loCH in their "ich".

In standard German, this sound is heard in words like "acht" and "Bach".

Quote-''The German sound in ICH is not the CH of loCH, but the sound some speakers pronounce at the beginning of the word "yeast". Like a very breathy devoiced "y".''

''I believe Swiss German speakers indeed have the /x/ sound of loCH in their "ich".''

I was probably think about the Swiss German ''ich'' pronunciation. The very breathy devoiced ''y'' sound you're describing is the ''ch'' sound that's used in my accent in ''chef'', ''machine'', ''chandalier'', ''Michigan'', ''cache'', ''Chicago'' etc. People from England pronounce those ''ch's'' like the ''sh'' in ''ship''.

''I was probably think about the Swiss German ''ich'' pronunciation. The very breathy devoiced ''y'' sound you're describing is the ''ch'' sound that's used in my accent in ''chef'', ''machine'', ''chandalier'', ''Michigan'', ''cache'', ''Chicago'' etc. People from England pronounce those ''ch's'' like the ''sh'' in ''ship''.''

Typo- ''think'' should be ''thinking''.

I've heard in Scotland there is "amn't". true?