The Negation Of Being?
Posted in Linguistic Annoyances at 8:26 pm on 19 November 2008
Do any of you say, “Are I?”
Thought not.
Would any of you say, “Are I not?”
Not likely is it? (Personally I would say, “Am I not?”)
Then why do we hear people say, “Aren’t I?”
It’s a horrible construction, ugly and ungrammatical. [In the jargon of grammatical discourse, the subject fails to agree in number with its verb; in plainer terms it combines a plural verb with a singular noun.]
And I hate it.
None of the characters in my fiction has ever uttered the phrase. If I had my way they never would. (Unfortunately, there will come a time when one has to because of who they’re supposed to be and where they’re supposed to come from. But I’ll still hate it.)
Where I was brought up the suitably grammatical phrase, “Amn’t I?” performed the function perfectly.
I do not expect it to catch on.
Tags: Linguistic Annoyances
doctorvee
November 20, 2008 at 12:59 am
Chambers lists “amn’t” as a Scots word.
Martin McCallion
November 20, 2008 at 1:51 pm
One hundred percent agreement, sir!
Bigrab
November 20, 2008 at 1:56 pm
Tut! tut!
Don’t you know the correct construction is ‘Um urny’
jackdeighton
November 20, 2008 at 6:14 pm
Yes Rab, the conjugation of the verb not to be in West Scots is:-
“Ahm no’, ah’m nut, and ahm urnae.
We’re no’, we’re nut and we urnae.
They’re no’, they’re nut and they urnae.”
(Extract from an old Dumbarton Academy School Show.)
Doctor Who Again – A Son of the Rock -- Jack Deighton
April 19, 2010 at 6:04 pm
[...] And Karen Gillan ought to have refused to utter the line, “Well, I’m still here, aren’t I?” [...]