he don't, ain't

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#34891 Mon, 28 Jun 04 04:35 PM

Henry James uses "he don't" and other non-standard forms. The constuction does not make sense to me - "he do not". How did this usage arise? I remember my mother using that form - she was schooled in early 20th Century - and, as I learned differently, I tried to correct her usage and was told it was correct when she went to school.

Where can I look for more information??

Thank you.

Guest

bratannia

#34941 Mon, 28 Jun 04 10:53 PM

English used to have many regional dialects, and the use of "he does" instead of "he do" was not universal. Also, to pronounce "is" as "ais" and so to get "he ain't" as a contraction of "he aisn't" was a matter of dialect. You also sometimes see amn't.

In Jamaican or US "ebonics," even today you can dialectically correctly say, "Brother, I be your best friend."

These things are somehow enjoyable.

bratannia

Joined on Fri, Apr 9 2004

Amsterdam

Junior Member (66)

Dialects, Contractions