ESL General English Grammar Questions

Re: Ain't no other

CalifJim — Tue, 03 Jul 2007 20:26:26 GMT

Is it accepted in English today like in conversations?

No.

The writers of popular songs often attempt to create an artificial world (emphasis on 'art' - this is a matter of artifice, not reality) to give a particular atmosphere or "flavor" to the songs. They therefore try to imitate the speech habits of what they consider to be the "common people". In fact, what they end up doing is borrowing phrases from rural or ethnic minorities (emphasis on minority - this is not a matter of using ordinary language used almost everywhere). This means that in typical middle-class urban and suburban settings, especially those where foreign visitors might find themselves, you will rarely hear these phrases, if at all. You would actually have to make a concerted effort to seek out communities where this sort of jargon is the standard for everyday speech. And, in all likelihood, these communities will not be welcoming outsiders with open arms, so you may decide not to carry out the adventure.

CJ

Re: Ain't no other

Yankee — Tue, 03 Jul 2007 15:17:46 GMT

Hi IF

The word ain't and the use of double negatives are not considered to be standard. Not everyone uses them. People who use ain't and double negatives are often simply viewed as uneducated. Even people who do use such expressions do not necessarily use them exclusively. It's good to know that these sorts of usages exist, but my recommendation is that you should avoid using them.

Re: Ain't no other

Yoong Liat — Tue, 03 Jul 2007 14:33:31 GMT

Intelligent Freak wrote:

So what does it mean? I heard this from some songs, particularly Christina Aguilera's "Ain't No Other Man"

Two negatives, but it means like there isn't other man.

Ciao,

"Ain't" is non-standard English. So is the sentence with two negatives.

Re: Ain't no other

Marius Hancu — Tue, 03 Jul 2007 12:13:15 GMT

>Ain't No Other Man

There is no other man ...

Re: Ain't no other

Kooyeen — Tue, 03 Jul 2007 12:06:37 GMT

Hi,
some? many? people don't accept that, but I keep on hearing double negatives all the time, everywhere. It must be what I listen to.

We don't need no education... - Pink Floyd...
I ain't afraid of no ghost... - Ghostbusters...
Robots don't need to eat nothing... - Something I watched...
etc.

My advice: don't use double negatives, but keep in mind that you'll sometimes hear them, or hear them a lot. I recently found out that it seems they are not even dialectal, they are just part of idiomatic English.

Ain't no other

Intelligent Freak — Tue, 03 Jul 2007 10:57:53 GMT

So what does it mean? I heard this from some songs, particularly Christina Aguilera's "Ain't No Other Man"

Two negatives, but it means like there isn't other man.

Is it accepted in English today like in conversations?

Thank you!

Ciao,