Talk:Ain't/GA1

GA Review
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Reviewer: Tezero (talk · contribs) 23:55, 26 July 2014 (UTC)

Hey, it looks like I'm not the only one with a language-related GAN! Interesting topic for one, too; I'll give comments later on. Tezero (talk) 23:55, 26 July 2014 (UTC)

I'm putting this on hold; ping me when you've addressed or responded to all of these. Tezero (talk) 16:20, 27 July 2014 (UTC)
 * "In non-rhotic dialects, aren't also began to be represented by an't." - Source?
 * I slightly reworded and added a cite. Dohn joe (talk) 01:22, 29 July 2014 (UTC)
 * "Charles Dickens likewise used ain't to mean haven't in Chapter 28 of Martin Chuzzlewit (1844): "You ain't got nothing to cry for, bless you! He's righter than a trivet!"" - ditto
 * Done. Dohn joe (talk) 02:00, 30 July 2014 (UTC)
 * "Like with an't, han't and ain't were found together late into the nineteenth century, as in Chapter 12 of Dickens' Our Mutual Friend: "Well, have you finished?" asked the strange man. "No," said Riderhood, "I ain't"...."You sir! You han't said what you want of me."" - ditto
 * Done. Dohn joe (talk) 02:00, 30 July 2014 (UTC)
 * "the classic example" - Too subjective for a source to work, I think. "A widely-known example", "A well-known example", "perhaps the most widely-known example", etc. would be preferable.
 * "Classic example" actually comes from the source itself - let me know if you still think it should change. Dohn joe (talk) 01:22, 29 July 2014 (UTC)
 * I know it does. It's kind of biased in the source, though, which is outside Wikipedia's goals (otherwise, as a stronger example, we could say "Abbey Road is one of the greatest albums of all time"). I'd prefer it be changed, although if you feel strongly I won't require it. Tezero (talk) 01:30, 29 July 2014 (UTC)
 * Tried "prominent". Dohn joe (talk) 02:00, 30 July 2014 (UTC)
 * "all nonstandard English dialects" - I don't know if it's possible to definitively quantify nonstandard English dialects, so I'd prefer "all nonstandard English dialects studied so far".
 * This language also comes from the source itself. Dohn joe (talk) 01:22, 29 July 2014 (UTC)
 * This I'll buy. Tezero (talk) 01:30, 29 July 2014 (UTC)
 * "In American English, ain’t is associated with a middle level of education,[38] although it is widely believed that its use establishes of lack of education or social standing in the speaker.[43]" - I don't see the distinction. If it's widely believed that its use correlates with some demographic variables, in what way is it "associated" with other ones?
 * My reading is that usage of the word is objectively associated with - i.e., actually used by - people with a middle level of education, according to the one source, and at the same time, subjectively believed to be used only by people with lesser education, according to the other. Perhaps I should reword to make that clearer? Dohn joe (talk) 01:22, 29 July 2014 (UTC)
 * Yeah, "associated" has more than one meaning. I'd prefer something like "is most often used by" or "correlates with". Tezero (talk) 01:30, 29 July 2014 (UTC)
 * Tried "corresponds to." Dohn joe (talk) 02:00, 30 July 2014 (UTC)
 * Since you talk about the song "He Ain't Heavy, He's My Brother" after the motto that goes thus, mention the existence of other things titled "Say It Ain't So". I can think of the Weezer song, but I'm sure there are more.
 * Didn't actually find that many, but added Weezer and Murray Head. Dohn joe (talk) 01:22, 29 July 2014 (UTC)
 * The section "Contractions of to have not" - consists of all short paragraphs that are kind of stilted to read. Try merging them together in some combination.
 * Gave it a shot.... Dohn joe (talk) 01:22, 29 July 2014 (UTC)
 * The intro doesn't summarize the article too well. Its history as at least two independent constructions merging over time isn't even mentioned, for one.
 * Added a bit on the independent derivations. The rest of the lead was recently hammered out after a long discussion on the talkpage. If you have specific things you'd like to see, feel free to suggest; otherwise, I'm loathe to change it on my own. Dohn joe (talk) 03:40, 30 July 2014 (UTC)
 * Some citations need more formatting - for example, the Merriam-Webster entries. Those need the publisher (just Merriam-Webster) and the accessdate. Excepting Google Books, all online citations need accessdates, actually. Similarly, Love for Love, The Relapse, The Country Wife, etc. need full citations as books; a link with a title and a page number isn't enough.
 * Started on this one....
 * Okay - think I got them all. User:Tezero - have at! Dohn joe (talk) 03:40, 30 July 2014 (UTC)

Looks much better. Good job! Tezero (talk) 04:36, 30 July 2014 (UTC)