Where'd the i come from? Shouldn't the contraction be "amn't"?

Because "amn't" sounds dumb?

Or maybe it was amn't originally, and the sound just shifted into something easier to say.

Cause "amn't" looks like an abbreviation for "amount"?

I've heard amn't as a kid growing up in Scotland. Pretty heavily frowned upon, but how you sound is a pretty big deal over there. I wonder if (meta issues aside) Fireflyverse English is consciously "americanized" to indicate something about one's status/situation, that is, is there anything political about it? Is it a reaction to the melding of the cultures (ie. Sino-American Alliance) or something else?

I seem to pick up whatever it is I'm watching/listening to at the time.

I do this too. When I was a kid, I spent some time in Europe, mostly England and Norway. When I came back, I started at a new school. Apparently, my new teacher loved me because I sounded so "respectful." This was totally based on the accent I picked up, not on anything wonderful that I said.

I find myself using a lot of Firefly speak, but I have a lot of friends who are fans, since I was quite the evangelizer for a while, so mostly I use the terms when speaking with them. When a Fireflyism slips out in regular conversation with others, it usually seems to go unnoticed.

I think people have a tendency to just let it go if they hear a phrase they don't recognize, but get the context clues. When it's close to another word/phrase, like "gorram," they feel the need to validate the pronunciation.

That sounds right Ailleann. I have a friend who goes to town with all sorts of pop culture references, but I tend to sprinkle them lightly, so don't get quite as many raised eyebrows. Not as many knowing laughs either, but that's how it goes.

I use such a mishmash of buffista, Buffy, and Firefly lingo it's a wonder anyone can understand me.

ION, catching up on BSG tonight. OMG Badger! (Slightly different accent, still totally slimy. Love.)

ION, catching up on BSG tonight. OMG Badger! (Slightly different accent, still totally slimy. Love.)

His accent on BSG was a remarkably authentic Irish accent; it was from north Dublin. Which makes it kind of a shame he used it on BSG.

Was it? He has family in Ireland, doesn't he?

There was a hilarious video blog on Scifi's BSG website - there is something about his voice that makes everything he says sound conspiratorial.

Yeah, it's the same accent Colin Farrell and, say, the characters in The Commitments have. My brother and I were really taken with how good it was because it's so... regional.