Question About KITT's Grammar

[ColeGrad01]

This has probably been discussed before, but I was wondering about something to do with KITT using the word "ain't." He says it in Season 2 episode "Custom K.I.T.T." and acts like there is nothing wrong with talking like that. Yet in Season 4 episode "Killer K.I.T.T." he hates it after knowing he was made to say it while programmed to do evil things. Did the creators of the show not catch onto the fact they had him say it two seasons before?

[Rockatteer]

I can't recall the exact examples you use, but I would say that it's probably a slip made due to having multiple writers.

It's pretty common practice for TV shows use several writers and even employ new writers over different seasons. Which means it's also common practice for little things like that to be missed.

Is it possible that Kitt was imitating Michaels speech patterns when he said ain't? I recall several instances where Kitt has imitated the way Micheal talks in a kind of joking manor.

[ColeGrad01]

Do you not remember when some bad lady from "Custom K.I.T.T." was inside KITT and being taken to the warehouse the stolen cars from the car show in that episode were being held. He said the word "ain't" and she said something about him having bad grammar. I think her name was Norma Rayburn.

[Amir]

Yeah, she's impressed by the car's features and when KITT says 'You ain't seen nothing, lady', she says 'hey, they don't programme cars with bad grammer". It was actually highly unusual of KITT to talk like that. Maybe it was because of the situation.

Or just bad continuation with the writing later on, rather.

[PHOENIXZERO]

Wasn't KITT already somewhat messed up from a rocket hit or near hit earlier in the episode? I seem to remember their going after a couple guys who worked for the guy who wanted to take over KITT and one of them fired a rocket or something, then again maybe I'm remembering it wrong and mixing it with some other episode.

[ColeGrad01]

This thread is talking about two different episodes here. The last post was referring to "Killer K.I.T.T.", whereas the post before that was referring to "Custom K.I.T.T." I was just wanting to know why an episode two seasons later would have KITT object to saying the word "ain't" when he had actually used it himself over two years earlier. Him saying it in Season 4 was part of his evil programming, so I don't think it was anything to do with the rockets being launched at him.

[LadyV2000]

Perhaps KITT was just trying to make a stronger statement? After all, it did get her attention more readily.

[seeker78]

I agree with Lady V, I mean, KITT never said he is incapable of speaking like that, right? He just said he prefers not to. That's different from Data on ST:TNG, who was specifically incapable of using contractions (although Lore is capable of doing that). And Spock prefers not to expose his emotions as Vulcan emotions are much more powerful than human emotions, but he does have them.

[Nismogtr21]

The fact that the lady in the car actually POINTED OUT that KITT used bad grammar makes it kind of obvious that it was done intentionally, it wasn't a screwup. KITT was just trying to be "cool", and if you notice, you'll see how different he is from season 1, where he is more robotic, cold, more artificial. As the episodes go on, you see how he becomes more 'human'.

I guess Michael had some influence on him.

[cloudkitt]

KITT just said "You ain't seen nothing yet" because it's a common phrase it would spook the lady, proving to her that he wasn't just a car that warned you when your door was ajar.

[Crumbling Down]

I agree that he probably picked up some things from just being around michael, bonnie, april and devon. I think he prefers not to use bad grammar like that but I think Kitt may have been nervous about Nora taking him and he thought that if he used that catchy phrase despite the bad grammar that it would scare her off. I seem to remember kitts vocabulary getting more slang type in the later episodes. Did Kitt ever swear though? I can't recall once that he did

[pheonix_knight]

[quote="Crumbling Down"]I agree that he probably picked up some things from just being around michael, bonnie, april and devon. I think he prefers not to use bad grammar like that but I think Kitt may have been nervous about Nora taking him and he thought that if he used that catchy phrase despite the bad grammar that it would scare her off. I seem to remember kitts vocabulary getting more slang type in the later episodes. Did Kitt ever swear though? I can't recall once that he did[/quote]

KITT tells Michael in KR2000 that he looked like crap, although not in TOS

[cloudkitt]

You're thinking of KARR, Crumbling Down. In KITT vs KARR, when KARR discovers that KITT must have picked up his signal, KARR says, "Damn!"

[Crumbling Down]

Yea I thought one of them swore before but I couldn't remember which. Thanks.

[CJaguar442]

You're thinking of KARR, Crumbling Down. In KITT vs KARR, when KARR discovers that KITT must have picked up his signal, KARR says, "Damn!"

i thought this was awesome when KARR said "Damn, he must of picked up on my sonar" I just found out Kit a nickname or abbreviation of Christopher

[Crumbling Down]

yea I thought it was a pretty neat part when he said that too, it mad him seem more evil. How is Kitt an abbreviation for Christopher?

[CJaguar442]

i found that out randomly searching KITT on wikipedia, ironic huh