English is Missing a Word!

We don’t have a contraction for the first person singular version of “I am not.” I clearly remember my sixth grade teacher, Mrs. Clemens, telling us that the “correct” thing to say, when asking the question, is “Am I not?” “Ain’t” just wasn’t the polite way to say it. I remember thinking that “am I not” sounded awfully strange. (I’ve gotten used to it now, and sometimes I even say it.)

Anyway, people who don’t want to sound uncouth but also don’t want to sound pretentious, often say, “Aren’t I?” Sigh. That’s not right either.

Let’s face it—English doesn’t have the word. At least I certainly never hear “amn’t I” except in jest. Here’s a comic, Daddy’s Home, to illustrate most of the point. I couldn’t find one with “am I not” or “aren’t I.”