June 12, 2005

INNIT

I first heard the word "innit" used in random context amongst second generation Asians when I lived in Birmingham fourteen years ago innit. Alongside "Jodpur, Bungalow, err...Balti" and "Chicken Tikka Masala" It is probably my favourite word the Indian people have contributed to my glorious mother tongue innit.

This is what the BBC have to say about the word "innit" innit.

(Assume posh BBC voice)

Isn't 'innit' ungrammatical?

Phrases like '...ain't it?', '...haven't they?' and '...wouldn't you?' that sit on the end of a statement are called 'tag questions' in linguistics. There's an almost infinite number of tag questions most people call on, varying by verb, tense, person and whether the tag is positive or negative.

For some people, 'innit' is just another tag question, a contraction of 'isn't it'. But kids in urban Britain are using 'innit' to cover a wider and wider range of situations innit.


Innit?

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