Ain't facts for kids

The word ain't is a contraction of is not, have not, are not and has not in English vernacular.

The development for ain't happened independently and at different times. The usage of ain't for the forms of to be not was established during the 18th century, and to have not by the early 19th century.

The using of ain't is a major subject of controversy English. The word is used by many speakers in oral and informal settings. But its use is often with stigma.

Ain't is found all across the English-speaking world in many regions and classes. The word is of a nonstandard nature.

Ain't is used all over the United Kingdom. Its geographical distribution has increased over time. It is also found all over the United States, including in the South, New England, the Mid-Atlantic States, the Appalachia and the Upper Midwest. But ain't can also be used in the Great Plains and other Midwestern States.

In England, ain't is generally considered to be a nonstandard or illiterate usage. That's because it is used by people of a lower socio-economic class and by educated people with an informal manner.

Ain't is also used in Australia and New Zealand.

Images for kids

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  Scene from Charles Dickens' 1838 novel Oliver Twist—the Artful Dodger (a Cockney, middle) introduces Oliver (right) to Fagin (left). Using ain't for is not, Dodger tells Oliver: "There ain't no teacher like Fagin!"

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  From Mark Twain, Life on the Mississippi, 1883

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  "You Ain't Heard Nothing Yet", 1919