Subj : Ain't
To   : Alexander Koryagin
From : Ardith Hinton
Date : Fri Apr 08 2022 20:24:17

Hi, Alexander!  Recently you wrote in a message to All:

AK>  In a textbook "Short stories", by Olly Richards I 
AK>  read the story "Daring Diabolo" 


          Hmm.  "Diablo" is a Spanish word meaning "devil", often used in tales involving frontier settlements near the US/Mexican border.

          I guess you haven't watched a lot of movies in which the bad guy says "This town ain't big enough for both of us!" while the good guy wins because he can reach for his guns more quickly & shoot with both hands at a time....  :-))



AK>  In his comment the teacher (Olly Richards) tells that 
AK>  "ain't" is a slang, 


          My usual sources classify it as informal or nonstandard... but not as slang.  In my experience slang tends to be fairly short-lived while "ain't" has been in use for over 200 years.  Slang also tends to be more limited WRT to how &/or by whom it is used than words like this one.



AK>  an informal way to say and write "am not", "are not", 
AK>  "is not", "has not" or "have not".


          AFAIK it's widely accepted in many regional dialects, and I have been known to say "ain't nobody here but us chickens" when somebody asks whether any other people are still reading an echo which hasn't had much recent traffic.  I can get away with it in a jocular/informal context.  For those who must pass an exam to demonstrate their proficiency in English, I wouldn't recommend it.  ;-)



AK>  "There is no law for me. And there ain't no law needed 
AK>  for this town either!" 


          I must confess I have to wonder about Olly Richards.  I imagine he is churning out "high interest, low difficulty" reading material.  Tales about the wild & woolly west do have a certain popular appeal, in North America at least, although the content may be formulaic &/or stereotypical &/or exaggerated.  But tales about gangsters & businessmen who think they're above the law &/or who've found ways to get others to do their dirty work for them have a certain popular appeal too.  I guess they're the updated version of ye olde cowboy movies.  I'm not saying you shouldn't read literature I'd take with a grain of salt, because I know you read widely & in these uncertain times you may want a break....  :-Q



AK>  I can't see the sense, although I think I know what 
AK>  he means. ;) 


          I & others have noticed that as the population density grows within a certain area the number of rules & regulations grows along with it.  I think it is reasonable to imagine that in a sparsely populated area, over a century ago, some folks liked to believe they could do as they wished &/or take the law into their own hands.  While I'm not sure when or where this story takes place I can see how their modernized/citified counterparts might feel the same way....  :-)




--- timEd/386 1.10.y2k+
 * Origin: Wits' End, Vancouver CANADA (1:153/716)

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