[mythtv-users] British vs. American English (was MythTVrequires a better name)

joe.white at wachovia.com joe.white at wachovia.com
Fri Sep 21 15:09:45 UTC 2007


mythtv-users-bounces at mythtv.org wrote on 09/21/2007 10:52:49 AM:

> At 10:15 PM -0600 9/20/07, Robert Johnston wrote:
> >Ain't is a contraction of "am not" (I am not amused/I ain't amused).
> >It originated from the linguistic abhorrence of "mn't" as a suffix (I
> >amn't amused), so the "a" from "am" was expanded into a hard A (Ai)
> >and the suffix for an abbreviated not (n't) was added to the end,
> >thereby making ain't.
> 
> Every once in a while, just to be funny, I use "amn't" in casual 
> speech. People never really think about how odd it is that this 
> particular contraction hasn't come into popular use.
> -- 
> Dan Wilga                                                        "Ook."
> _______________________________________________
> mythtv-users mailing list
> mythtv-users at mythtv.org
> http://mythtv.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/mythtv-users

Unlike "isn't", "amn't" doesn't roll off the tongue with any more ease 
than "am not".  Probably because the mouth position for the ending m and 
beginning n are so close.  Besides, when I say, "I am not", I am usually 
emphasising the "not", often through gritted teeth.

Its all a matter of emphasis and ease.
Don't y'all agree?

joe white
> ForwardSourceID:NT0001B296 
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: http://mythtv.org/pipermail/mythtv-users/attachments/20070921/4d49be94/attachment.htm 


More information about the mythtv-users mailing list