We must not wrest this law to
our own convenience, however, by assuming that such words and phrases
as are introduced and employed by the illiterate, or even by the
educated, within a circumscribed territory, are, therefore, to be
regarded as
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reputable words. The sanction of all classes, the educated as well as
the uneducated, throughout the entire country in which the language is
spoken, is necessary and preliminary to the proper introduction of a
new word into the language.
Ain't
This word is a contraction of am not or are not, and can, therefore,
be used only with the singular pronouns I and you, and with the plural
pronouns we, you, and they, and with nouns in the plural.
I am not pleased. I ain't pleased.
You are not kind. You ain't kind.
They are not gentlemen. They ain't gentlemen.
These sentences will serve to illustrate the proper use of ain't, if
it is ever proper to use such an inelegant word as that. "James ain't
a good student," "Mary ain't a skillful musician," or "This orange
ain't sweet," are expressions frequently heard, yet those who use them
would be shocked to hear the same expressions with the proper
equivalent am not or are not substituted for the misleading ain't.
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