If it ain't broke, don't fix it
Meaning
If something is working adequately well, leave it alone.
(ain't that the truth )
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Ain't (language question to native ENglish speakers) Because I've heard it so many times in songs and movies I took the habit (purposedly) to replace any isn't/am not/are not by ain't and recently an Amercian told me this really sound like SOOOOO uneducated and uncivilized to American ears. I was surprised, I mean I knew it isn't proper English and in the movies it's clearly used by lower class people but I had no idea it sounded so bad to natives lol to me it was just more like wanna gonna etc.
Opinions?
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I believe the word "ain't" originated from the South. It's a very common word in the English language but I think a lot of people still think if you use the word as part of your regular vocabulary, it shows you're uneducated or uncouth. Another southern term that comes to mind is "Ya'll", which Beyonce has made okay to use. I've heard a lot of celebs from the South as well as some very educated people use both words. I've never really had a problem with it. I don't recommend using them during a job interview, though. "It's not nice to fuck with K.B.! All you haters will see!" - Kitbradley
"The only true wisdom is knowing you know nothing." - Socrates | |
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dupe
[Edited 2/11/15 6:53am] | |
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There's a lot of words considered informal or slang that have become popular over the years. Sometimes they are appropriate, sometimes they are not ... it all depends on context. "Ain't" is one of them. "Never let nasty stalkers disrespect you. They start shit, you finish it. Go down to their level, that's the only way they'll understand. You have to handle things yourself." | |
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I think people use these terms in "casual" conversation. So called "educated people" know the correct grammar but use these words as a part of their vernacular; however, when speaking formally or in certain circles, the King's English is always appropriate, preferred, and necessary. I use both of these words in casual conversation, but I do know when not to use them. And then there are words that I notice "my people" use all the time. Some of them are clearly uneducated and some are educated, but what bothers me is when I hear certain words mispronounced by TV personalities, news casters and DJ. For instance, a lot of black folks say "Valentime's Day." When I hear that, it makes me cringe because if just sounds so ignorant. Another is "chickenpops." And this one is just unforgivable, but I hear it all the time, especially by the so called "educated," when describing a situation between two people, e.g., “Her and me” or “Him and me.”
[Edited 2/11/15 6:54am] [Edited 2/11/15 6:55am] | |
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Native Texan here. "Ain't" is not used in regular/polite conversation. It gives an uneducated vibe. It's only appropriate if it's used in a humorous context. | |
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By St. Boogar and all the saints at the backside door of Purgatory! | |
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Your American friend was right. | |
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me, i always look for the factual info for origins and definitions. (hope this helps) i've used the word in my younger days, but now i find no need to fuse the words "am not" or "is not" in to the word "ain't." however imo usage of the word does not mean the person using it is uneducated. it's a slang term imo. just a verbal short cut to get a point across. like= "aint his biznezz" instead of "it isn't his busness. or "ain't that the truth" instead of "i think that's the truth" and so on.
ain't - wikipedia
: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ain%27t
excerpt: Ain't has been called "the most stigmatized word in the language,"[24] as well as "the most powerful social marker" in English. It is a prominent example in English of a shibboleth – a word used to determine inclusion in, or exclusion from, a group.[24] Historically, this was not the case. For most of its history, ain't was acceptable across many social and regional contexts. Throughout the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries, ain't and its predecessors were part of normal usage for both educated and uneducated English speakers, and was found in the correspondence and fiction of, among others, Jonathan Swift, Lord Byron, Henry Fielding, and George Eliot.[26] For Victorian English novelists William Makepeace Thackeray and Anthony Trollope, the educated and upper classes in 19th century England could use ain't freely, but in familiar speech only.[27] Ain't continued to be used without restraint by many upper middle class speakers in southern England into the beginning of the 20th century.[28][29] Ain't was a prominent target of early prescriptivist writers. In the 18th and early 19th centuries, some writers began to propound the need to establish a "pure" or "correct" form of English.[30] Contractions in general were disapproved of, but ain't and its variants were seen as particularly "vulgar."[24] This push for "correctness" was driven mainly by the middle class, which led to an incongruous situation in which non-standard constructions continued to be used by both lower and upper classes, but not by the middle class.[27][31] The reason for the strength of the prescription against ain't is not entirely clear. The strong prescription against ain't in standard English has led to many misconceptions, often expressed jocularly (or ironically), as "ain't ain't a word" or "ain't ain't in the dictionary."[32] Ain't is listed in most dictionaries, including the Oxford English Dictionary[33] and Merriam-Webster.[34] However, Oxford states "it does not form part of standard English and should never be used in formal or written contexts,"[33] and Merriam-Webster states it is "widely disapproved as non-standard and more common in the habitual speech of the less educated".
“Transracial is a term that has long since been defined as the adoption of a child that is of a different race than the adoptive parents,” : https://thinkprogress.org...fb6e18544a | |
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I hate to be the one to break the news, but "ain't" has been added to official dictionaries like Merriam-Webster... "Music gives a soul to the universe, wings to the mind, flight to the imagination and life to everything." --Plato
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All this talk about the origin of the word got me interested enough to look up the definition:
http://www.merriam-webste...ry/ain%27t 3 : do not : does not : did not —used in some varieties of Black English
"Never let nasty stalkers disrespect you. They start shit, you finish it. Go down to their level, that's the only way they'll understand. You have to handle things yourself." | |
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What makes me cringe is when I hear many black people pronounce the word "looked" as "looked-ed". I had never even heard anyone pronounce the word like that until the 90's. It drives me crazy! I always correct someone when I hear them say that. "It's not nice to fuck with K.B.! All you haters will see!" - Kitbradley
"The only true wisdom is knowing you know nothing." - Socrates | |
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ain't nothin but somethin to do... i am KING BAD!!!
you are NOT... STOP ME IF YOU HEARD THIS BEFORE... | |
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Your friend is right but him being a native speaker also plays a huge part. If you were an American,too, then your use of "ain´t" wouldn´t sound as bad to him as it does when he hears it from a non-native speaker. Same with "gonna" "wanna" and "he don´t , she don´t ". Not that these words sound more educated when native speakers use them (they don´t), but when a non-native speaker uses them it just sounds a bit off to native speakers´ ears. This is the case with most languages. And then there are differences from one country to another. For instance the past tense form of "got", i.e "gotten", is perfectly acceptable to Americans and used to be perfectly acceptable in England, too. But these days it sounds terrible to British ears whereas Americans have kept that past form "gotten" and still use it. Most English folks roll their eyes when they hear it. " I´d rather be a stank ass hoe because I´m not stupid. Oh my goodness! I got more drugs! I´m always funny dude...I´m hilarious! Are we gonna smoke?" | |
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The newly elected Governor elected Bruce Rauner gave his State of The State speech a couple of weeks ago. To my surprise, Governor Rauner had picked up a a "Southern" accent! Some words became drawn out and Ya'll and other slang terms had creeped into his vocabulary.
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Thank you. Black diction and/or slang has been apart of our culture; I'm always amazed how much of our slang are co-opted by mainstream media. Most black people know the difference and can flip the script when needed... it was and I think still is a cultural necessity. | |
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some would say "black english" is more or less a dialect, aka; regional usage of (in this case) the english language. or better yet - regional speach patterns or accents. if you travel throughout the u s you will hear different dialects. (speech patterns) for example 1. new york - very distinctive accents 2. new england - north eastern 3. w virginia - appalaclchian influenced speech pattern 4. southern america - several variations "Southern dialects originated in large part from immigrants from the British Isles who moved to the South in the 17th and 18th centuries." note: many african americans migrated from the south and brought the influcences of english spoken in south. (also note: not all blacks use the same varieties of the english language.)
so i guess you can look up the word "black english" and find several takes. try: African American Vernacular English: http://en.wikipedia.org/w...ar_English
maybe you might find an answer to your question as follows: you said: Forgive my ignorance, but what the hell is "Black English"??
[Edited 2/12/15 1:45am] “Transracial is a term that has long since been defined as the adoption of a child that is of a different race than the adoptive parents,” : https://thinkprogress.org...fb6e18544a | |
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Ain't you ever heard of Ebonics??? "It's not nice to fuck with K.B.! All you haters will see!" - Kitbradley
"The only true wisdom is knowing you know nothing." - Socrates | |
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EbonicsEbonics was originally coined to refer to the language of the African Diaspora. Since the mid-1990s, it has been used colloquially to refer to a distinctive lect, or variety, of English spoken by African Americans, which most linguists refer to as African American Vernacular English. Ebonics may also refer to:
not all african americans in academic circles supported "eubonics" at the time of it's conception. need anyone be reminded: all african americans do not think alike, nor use the same english language venacular. same with whites and other races. (not all use the same english language venacular). until we/or the many stop thinking when an idea or a mindset is set forth by an individual or individuals of a certain race represents the whole, we will never dissipate the racist mindset.
“Transracial is a term that has long since been defined as the adoption of a child that is of a different race than the adoptive parents,” : https://thinkprogress.org...fb6e18544a | |
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I really have no problem with the word. I have heard people say it from different area's of the country and from different ethnic backgrounds. | |
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By St. Boogar and all the saints at the backside door of Purgatory! | |
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I still remember my high school teacher giving an "F" to those who used the n' thing in exams (you know, cryin', goin', etc); I shit you not... | |
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I have, but I thought it was a derogatory term for those who don't speak proper English? Every African American that I know uses the same proper English as President Obama (better than George Bush's ), so this idea of a separate language for black people is foreign to me. We are not talking about "slang", are we? "Never let nasty stalkers disrespect you. They start shit, you finish it. Go down to their level, that's the only way they'll understand. You have to handle things yourself." | |
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balck english is somethin white folks came up with... i speak fluent nigga and have yet to find somebody that speaks ebonics OR black english AND i'm damn near sixty i am KING BAD!!!
you are NOT... STOP ME IF YOU HEARD THIS BEFORE... | |
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Ain't or An't was being used in England in the 17th century, long before popping up in the States in the 18th century. . | |
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you tho crazee, and your honesty is unparallelled. “Transracial is a term that has long since been defined as the adoption of a child that is of a different race than the adoptive parents,” : https://thinkprogress.org...fb6e18544a | |
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and so it should be.
so i will go on to post these lyrics as sung by Ms Billie Holiday
There ain't nothin' I can do or nothin' I can say If I should take a notion, to jump into the ocean
If my man ain't got no money and I say, "Take all of mine, honey"
or
If it ain't broke, don't fix itMeaningIf something is working adequately well, leave it alone.
(ain't that the truth )
“Transracial is a term that has long since been defined as the adoption of a child that is of a different race than the adoptive parents,” : https://thinkprogress.org...fb6e18544a | |
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Prince, in you I found a kindred spirit...Rest In Paradise. | |
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Ain't no info like misinfo. "Music gives a soul to the universe, wings to the mind, flight to the imagination and life to everything." --Plato
https://youtu.be/CVwv9LZMah0 | |
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