I is?

Pam writes with an interesting question:
In a dictionary, the verb 'BE' is described as:
BE [verb]
first and third person singular past indicative: was
second person singular and plural and first and third person
plural past indicative: were
past subjunctive: were
past participle: been
present participle: being
first person singular present indicative: am
second person singular and plural and first and third person
plural present indicative: are
third person singular present indicative: is
present subjunctive: be

Therefore you can correctly say 'I am', 'she is', 'you are', etc.

Is it ever grammatically correct to say 'I is'?

The short answer is "No." The long answer is "It depends."

"Be" is a very old, very irregular verb. As languages age, they tend to become more regular in their grammar. Toddlers routinely do this as they learn English. They tend to say, "I seed him," and "She readed me a story," and "I is tired." Then we routinely correct them, conservatively protecting the grammar of the 9th century.

Of course, many of our ancestors failed to correct their children sternly enough, so we don't speak English as they did in the 9th century. (Spare the rod and spoil the language!)

But some dialects will change, and often in the direction of regularity. So-called Black English uses the verb "to be" in ways very different from Standard English, and generally in more regular forms. These usages are not bad, or incorrect—just different. Some versions of Black English will use "I is," and within those versions the usage is not only accepted, it's required.

Comments

[chuckp]

Why, in English is the 3rd person indicative plural?
I walk.
You walk.
She walkS.

Thank you,

Chuckp