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When reading this post:

https://movies.stackexchange.com/a/51219/20039

I wasn't sure what the last 3 sentences actually are stylistic about.

So the question is as the title states.

What is the expressing difference between We ain't and We are not?

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  • aint can be used as am not, are not, is not, have not, and has not. BTW, aint is informal while are not is the version you must use in a formal writing.
    – Mohsen Kamrani
    Commented Apr 4, 2016 at 11:03
  • @mok so it is exactly the same thing? And so one just uses it to save spoken/written characters? Would this say out anything about the characters in the linked dialouge? When one keeps saying ain't while the other says are not?
    – Zaibis
    Commented Apr 4, 2016 at 11:08
  • As far as I know they mean the same. But, I have no idea why someone insists on using aint.
    – Mohsen Kamrani
    Commented Apr 4, 2016 at 11:14

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Ain't is a regional dialect word (Cockney, East London, UK- 1706) that started off as a contraction of am not, then was used to replace is not, has not and a few other things. It is relatively common in the UK and in the US. There are other regional variations in the UK- aiy is used in the Black Country and bain't is used in the West of England.

These words are widely used in novels to suggest that a character lacks education: I suspect that's the point of the quote that you referred to.

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