On second thought, I think I once read somewhere that "I've" is used that way in the UK sometimes, maybe for possession. But since I am not sure, it might be very rare,I have never actually "heard" it, and I have probably

Hi, yes, there are books that deal with stress, intonation, and pronunciation. I've read "American Accent Training" by Ann Cook. There's really a lot of stuff in that book (and on the 5 CDs). I haven't tried any other books anyway, so I can only

From Merriam Webster's : AIN'T Etymology: contraction of are not 1 : am not : are not : is not 2 : have not : has not 3 : do not : does not : did not -- used in some varieties of Black English Usage: Although widely disapproved as