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enthusiast
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The contraction of "I am not" is grammatically unusual in that it can only go in one direction. Whereas all other persons can do either – "she is not" becoming "she's not" or "she isn't" – "I am not" in statements has to become "I'm not", never "I amn't".
But in questions the second form of contraction is the only one possible: "is she not?" (or "is not she?" as Jane Austen could say and we no longer can) can only become "isn't she?". Here "am" is parallel: "am I not?" becomes "amn't I?".
Of course it's almost never written amn't or an't, though these both exist. It's invariably written aren't these days.
In my dialect the vowel change am -> aant is the same as the change in can -> caant, so I don't feel anything odd about it. And it makes no difference whether I spell it amn't, an't, or aren't, as it's pronounced the same.
However, do Americans, or anyone with a rhotic accent, feel this is odd? Do you actually pronounce the R in aren't in this case? So does it feel like an anomalous substitution of person? Or does the alternation am ~ aren't feel normal and unexceptionable?
(This was sparked by seeing a site that claimed that ain't was historically a pronunciation of amn't – I don't know whether this is true, and at the moment don't care.)
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Carpal Tunnel
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Interesting one, Nick. My dear old granny (from the north of England) used amn't. Funnily enough I, who was always keen to pick up her little verbal "gems", never adopted it. It just sounded wrong to me, and still does, regardless of its pedigree!
The idiot also known as Capfka ...
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Do you mean she said it in statements? She said "I aren't/aunt at home"? Or are you thinking of a particular pronunciation?
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Carpal Tunnel
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it makes no difference whether I spell it amn't, an't, or aren't, as it's pronounced the same.
Nicholas, she said, looking at him out of the corners of her eyes, are you by chance trying to put one over?
How on earth can amn't and aren't be pronounced the same?
I have never thought of using amn't, because it is so hard to say--exactly as it looks:ammmm-nnnt. An't is ant, and that's all there is to that. Aren't is arrrrrrnt. Geez!
(Though I will concede that Brit-speakers probably say aren't as aahhhhhnt. But amnt = ahnt? No way!)
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Okay, I'm clarifying it, [ahnt] I?
The contraction of "am not I?" is pronounced [ahnt], that is the same as "aren't" from "are not", and "aunt" an elderly female relative.
How do we spell this [ahnt]? My point is that an't would be a reasonable way to spell it, to match can't ([cahnt], as in Immanuel), and amn't is also found in dictionaries, obviously mean to pronounced [ahnt] (the same as an't/aunt/aren't). In practice, however, the spelling aren't is chosen.
But Americans pronounce aren't = are not with an R, don't they? So do they/you also pronounce it with an R when it comes from am? Or is it just written that way faute de mieux, for lack of any other agreed spelling? Does it worry you that, in your dialect, the process of contraction adds an R?
I think what you're trying to convey by subtle signs is that you personally pronounce an R in aren't I?. Aren't you?
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Carpal Tunnel
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What Jackie is trying to tell you, in her genteel southron lady way is that, yes US'ns pronounce the R in that oh so exquisitely non-musical way that only US'ns can do. Some dialects in which the R is not pronounced, notably southern and northeast New England dialects, will elide this R and you will hear something not unlike the Received Standard British pronunciation.
Many of us are fully aware that this results in a non-grammatical use of the second person plural form of the verb to be with the first person singular pronoun be we have gotten used to it.
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old hand
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Many of us are fully aware that this results in a non-grammatical use of the second person plural form of the verb to be with the first person singular pronoun be we have gotten used to it.
Sort of. My mother often used "amn't" in a joking manner (pronounced with all the letters, since we are in Canada) and I occasionally use it in informal conversation. I got a strange look from my Turkish friend for using it the other day, though. I have mixed feelings about it. If I were to write it I would use the "proper" form which I consider to be "Aren't I?" I'll admit that even that looks awkward, though...
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Carpal Tunnel
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"am not I?" Is that even kosher? What about 'am I not'? Yes, this is a different issue. But what I am taking issue with is that the contraction "amn't" comes from something that sounds wrong, wrong, wrong! "Am not I"?? I ask you!  I think what you're trying to convey by subtle signs is that you personally pronounce an R in aren't I?. Aren't you?Ms. Subtlety, that's me! Yes, I say arrrrrrren't. But I take issue with your examples of similarities! Aunt does rhyme with can't--but I want you to understand that the correct sound is the same a-sound as in flack, not flock! Though there are some US'ns who use that sound, notably Will Smith in Men In Black, when he said, "Oh, was that your Ontie?".[poking the borax e]
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Jackie protests: the correct sound is the same a-sound as in flack, not flock! Though there are some US'ns who use that sound, notably Will Smith in Men In Black, when he said, "Oh, was that your Ontie?"
I think this is regional. There are even those who go so far as to pronounce it AWNT, notably Garrison Keillor from A Prairie Home Companion (unspeakable perversion).
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Carpal Tunnel
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An ant is an insect and has nothing to do with aunt unless your Dear Aunt sits on an ant hill at a picnic!
Aunt is sort of like : Ah-nt - at least in New England!
Now, as to am'n't it is an Irish contraction of am I not and heard often there still. Sounds lovely with a soft Dublin/Kildare accent!
I use it among friends and family when feeling very Irish!
Years ago, the magazine Ireland of the Welcomes had several articles on words that came from Irish and am'n't was one of the contractions ... so I would surmise it's an Irish language contraction .... Anyone fluent?
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