So, today I (hopefully!) go see Serenity

[conuly]

And now, I have a question or two. First one goes "Why do we say "...aren't I?" when clearly the longer version is "am I not?" Is this just an illogical reaction to fears of using the dread word "ain't", despite the historical origins of the word? I can kinda agree that there's good reasons to say "No ain't in the third or second persons or plural!", but it does fill a nice gap where we don't have an amn't at the moment.

Secondly, so I'm on the bus, and a guy comes on and sees his friend. And they start chatting in Spanish, starting with a cheerful "Como sta!" and moving on from there.

Except that at one point the second guy says something, obviously reminding the first guy, and the first guy goes, in English, "Oh, right, right, right, right, right! Yeah!" After taking a moment to smugly think to myself "I know what that's called! Heee heee heeeeee!", I start to wonder: Does he know he said that in English? Why did he say that in English? I wonder, which is his first language?

But I didn't ask him. So I have one question you can answer, and a series of questions you can't. Such is life.

Comments

[aquamizuko.livejournal.com]

I'd think the proper contraction won't be amn't. :P That'd be more annoying to pronounce though, I think.

[aquamizuko.livejournal.com]

.. And I can't spell today. :D

*would be, not won't be.

[conuly]

It originally was amn't, which eventually evolved to ain't.

[kibbles.livejournal.com]

I remember at the PX and around other Americans in Germany we'd break out in a little bit of German here and there -- and for some reason we ALWAYS said "excuse me" in German...no idea why. I dont know if we always realized it or not...and we had varying levels of fluency.

[fledchen.livejournal.com]

I've encountered a few small children who say "amn't."

[dariddler.livejournal.com]

I know quite a few people who switch tongues whilst talking. One of my friends was speaking Chinese to his mother when he suddenly threw in the English word 'dictionary'. He said sometimes English words are easier to say or remember, or else express something in a way his native language mightn't - the latter of which sounds highly plausible for your Spanish friends.
But he did know he'd said it in English.
So yeah.

What is with the taboo against "ain't"?

[brownkitty.livejournal.com]

It sounds "low class" or some such.

[aquamizuko.livejournal.com]

I'd think the proper contraction won't be amn't. :P That'd be more annoying to pronounce though, I think.

[aquamizuko.livejournal.com]

.. And I can't spell today. :D

*would be, not won't be.

[conuly]

It originally was amn't, which eventually evolved to ain't.

[kibbles.livejournal.com]

I remember at the PX and around other Americans in Germany we'd break out in a little bit of German here and there -- and for some reason we ALWAYS said "excuse me" in German...no idea why. I dont know if we always realized it or not...and we had varying levels of fluency.

[fledchen.livejournal.com]

I've encountered a few small children who say "amn't."

[dariddler.livejournal.com]

I know quite a few people who switch tongues whilst talking. One of my friends was speaking Chinese to his mother when he suddenly threw in the English word 'dictionary'. He said sometimes English words are easier to say or remember, or else express something in a way his native language mightn't - the latter of which sounds highly plausible for your Spanish friends.
But he did know he'd said it in English.
So yeah.

What is with the taboo against "ain't"?

[brownkitty.livejournal.com]

It sounds "low class" or some such.