AMERICAN MOSAIC - When It Ain't Right to Use 'Ain't' in Engl

AMERICAN MOSAIC¹ - When It Ain't Right to Use 'Ain't' in English, and When It Is
By Dana Demange and Nancy Steinbach

Broadcast: Friday, December 16, 2005

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HOST: Welcome to AMERICAN MOSAIC, in VOA Special English.

I'm Doug Johnson. On our show this week:

We hear music from a new CD to help hurricane victims…

Answer a question about the use of an English word…

And report about the opening of a new center that honors a champion.

Ali Center

A new museum has opened in the city of Louisville, Kentucky. It honors the life and work of former boxing champion Muhammad Ali. Bob Doughty² has more.

BOB DOUGHTY: The Muhammad Ali Center opened last month, although it will not be completely finished for another year. The center was built in Louisville because it is where Muhammad Ali was born.

 
The public dedication³ ceremony at the Ali Center November 13, 2005
The center is meant to be an educational and cultural international gathering⁴ place. The six-level building is a place to learn about Muhammad Ali and to help visitors discover ways to increase understanding among people. The center is also an attempt to help the world find ways to prevent war and violence. Muhammad Ali's wife Lonnie said the center will be a place where people can work for peace and understanding. She said her husband did not want the museum to be only about him and his boxing.

Exhibits in some areas show Ali's boxing successes. Other areas remember the days of racial separation in the American South when the young Cassius Clay was growing up. He later became a Muslim and changed his name to Muhammad Ali. The civil rights movement of the nineteen sixties is the subject of one exhibit at the center.

Muhammad Ali has worked for many years to improve human rights, ease conflicts and provide food for the poor. The fifth level of the building is divided into six areas that show the values in Ali's life. They include believing in yourself, giving and spirituality. Interactive⁵ experiences show how Ali stood up for what he believed. Center officials say its aim is to use Ali's life as an example that will help visitors recognize that they too can make a difference.

 
Muhammad Ali at the center's opening
Muhammad Ali is now sixty-three years old. He is battling Parkinson's syndrome⁶. It affects his speech and movement. Ali and his wife are considering moving back to live in Louisville so that they can spend more time at the center.

Ain't

HOST: Our VOA listener question this week comes from Brazil. Joao Ademir dos Santos asks about the use of the English word "ain't".

The dictionary says that "ain't" is an example of nonstandard English. Standard English follows rules of grammar and usage⁷ that people learn in school. Nonstandard English includes words or expressions that violate⁸ these rules.

"Ain't" is an attempt to combine the words "am" and "not" in a way similar to the way that "don't" combines the words "do" and "not." Experts say it first appeared in English in seventeen seventy-eight. They say people in that time period also developed the use of "don't" and "won't." Later, grammar experts criticized the use of "ain't" because it was used by uneducated people.

In the nineteenth century, it was criticized because it was not a combination of two words. The meaning of "ain't" also expanded to include "is not," "has not" and "have not," as in the expression "I ain't got any."

Grammar experts and teachers continue to criticize the use of "ain't." They say it is slang⁹ and should not be used in conversation. Yet sometimes it seems to be the right word to use for informal speech. It has been used in many expressions such as "You ain't seen nothing yet," "Say it ain't so" and "Ain't that the truth!" People also use it in a joking way. However, it is not used in writing unless the writer is trying to express a kind of informal relation among a group of people.

The book "Understanding English Grammar" says "ain't" is an issue about manners, not grammar. The writer says ideas about the word would change quickly if television news reporters and the president of the United States used the word. One language expert said that teachers, news reporters and presidents do not avoid "ain't" because it is nonstandard English. It is nonstandard English because such people do not use it.

Katrina Relief Music

HOST: The city of New Orleans, Louisiana, has influenced many musicians over the years. Now, it is time for musicians to help New Orleans. "Hurricane Relief" is a new CD that many musicians, producers and record companies came together to create. Faith Lapidus tells us more.

 
Katrina relief album
FAITH LAPIDUS: "Hurricane Relief: Come Together Now" is the full name of this special new CD. This collection of music includes many new and old songs. It includes many kinds of music. Some of the songs are about New Orleans. The CD is not only important for its music, however. It also represents a high level of cooperation among many people in the music industry. Their goal was to "come together" to create an album that could raise money for the victims of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita.

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That was "Tears in Heaven" by Eric Clapton. Sixteen famous musicians took part in the recording¹⁰. If you listened carefully you could hear the voices of musicians such as Ringo Starr and Mary J. Blige.

The musicians and producers who made this album did not want to earn money from it. Instead, each time the CD is purchased, almost all of the profits will go to a relief organization. These organizations include the American Red Cross, Habitat for Humanity¹¹ and the MusiCares Hurricane Relief Fund.

Here is "City Beneath the Sea" by Harry¹² Connick, Junior. It describes the music, sights and sounds of New Orleans. Connick should know -- he grew up in that city.

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We close with the song "Come Together Now" which was written by the actress Sharon Stone and other songwriters. More than twenty musicians such as Natalie Cole and Celine Dion came together to make this special recording. This song expresses the idea of the whole album. It tells about the importance of uniting to help people and a city in need.

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HOST: I'm Doug Johnson. I hope you enjoyed our program.

Our show was written by Dana Demange and Nancy Steinbach. Caty Weaver¹³ was our producer.

Join us again next week for AMERICAN MOSAIC, VOA's radio magazine in Special English.

1 mosaic   

n./adj.镶嵌细工的，镶嵌工艺品的，嵌花式的

参考例句：

• The sky this morning is a mosaic of blue and white.今天早上的天空是幅蓝白相间的画面。
• The image mosaic is a troublesome work.图象镶嵌是个麻烦的工作。

2 doughty   

adj.勇猛的，坚强的

参考例句：

• Most of successful men have the characteristics of contumacy and doughty.绝大多数成功人士都有共同的特质：脾气倔强，性格刚强。
• The doughty old man battled his illness with fierce determination.坚强的老人用巨大毅力与疾病作斗争。

3 dedication   

n.奉献，献身，致力，题献，献辞

参考例句：

• We admire her courage,compassion and dedication.我们钦佩她的勇气、爱心和奉献精神。
• Her dedication to her work was admirable.她对工作的奉献精神可钦可佩。

4 gathering   

n.集会，聚会，聚集

参考例句：

• He called on Mr. White to speak at the gathering.他请怀特先生在集会上讲话。
• He is on the wing gathering material for his novels.他正忙于为他的小说收集资料。

5 interactive   

adj.相互作用的，互相影响的，（电脑）交互的

参考例句：

• The psychotherapy is carried out in small interactive groups.这种心理治疗是在互动的小组之间进行的。
• This will make videogames more interactive than ever.这将使电子游戏的互动性更胜以往。

6 syndrome   

n.综合病症；并存特性

参考例句：

• The Institute says that an unidentified virus is to blame for the syndrome. 该研究所表示,引起这种综合症的是一种尚未确认的病毒。
• Results indicated that 11 fetuses had Down syndrome. 结果表明有11个胎儿患有唐氏综合征。

7 usage   

n.惯用法，使用，用法

参考例句：

• I am clear about the usage of this word at last.这个词的用法我算是弄明白了。
• The usage is now firmly established.这种用法现已得到确认。

8 violate   

vt.违反，违背，亵渎，侵犯，妨碍

参考例句：

• Those who violate traffic regulations should be punished.那些违反交通规定的人应该受处罚。
• Can they be allowed to violate rules and regulations at will?难道能容许他们随心所欲地破坏规章制度吗？

9 slang   

n.俚语，行话；vt.使用俚语，辱骂；vi.辱骂

参考例句：

• The phrase is labelled as slang in the dictionary.这个短语在这本字典里被注为俚语。
• Slang often goes in and out of fashion quickly.俚语往往很快风行起来又很快不再风行了。

10 recording   

n.录音，记录

参考例句：

• How long will the recording of the song take?录下这首歌得花多少时间？
• I want to play you a recording of the rehearsal.我想给你放一下彩排的录像。

11 humanity   

n.人类，[总称]人(性)，人道[pl.]人文学科

参考例句：

• Such an act is a disgrace to humanity.这种行为是人类的耻辱。
• We should treat animals with humanity.我们应该以仁慈之心对待动物。

12 harry   

vt.掠夺，蹂躏，使苦恼

参考例句：

• Today,people feel more hurried and harried.今天，人们感到更加忙碌和苦恼。
• Obama harried business by Healthcare Reform plan.奥巴马用医改掠夺了商界。

13 weaver   

n.织布工；编织者

参考例句：

• She was a fast weaver and the cloth was very good.她织布织得很快，而且布的质量很好。
• The eager weaver did not notice my confusion.热心的纺织工人没有注意到我的狼狈相。