Iverson Confesses To Crime Via Double Negative

Enduring Vision ^ | Josh Righter

[kitkat]

"You realize, don't you, that a significant minority of FReepers are going to
"loose" it when they read this grammar storry"

Yes, but they'll be "to" upset to do anything about it.

[stands2reason]

They definately will!

[LarryLied]

Double negatives have a long and illustrious history in English also. Shakespeare used them. Then some got the erroneous idea that language is math and two no's equal a yes. That sterile attitude robbed the language of much of its richness.

[newgeezer]

That sterile attitude robbed the language of much of its richness.

Uh-huh. Lysol robs a San Francisco public turlet of much of its richness, too.

:-D

[twigs]

Thank you for explaining this misunderstood fact in the development of English. I always liked using the double negative, at least in certain ways. Then when I learned that it played a significant role in the development of the English language, a most remarkable language IMO, I have valued its use all the more!

[twigs]

A problem here is that the woman in question is not his girlfriend. She's his wife.

[LarryLied]

Double negatives and other colorful speech are jarring because our language has been simplified over the decades. It is not a postive trend.

[LarryLied]

This isn't a double negative but an example of wonderful English I found in Arizona when I asked where a friends sister was:

"She done did got herself home," was the reply.

Isn't that better than "She is home"?

There is a road in my Connecticut town named "Roast Meat Hill." 100 years or so ago, a hay wagon caught fire on the road and the horse team pulling it perished. Tell people you live on "Roast Meat Hill" and they never forget it. So much better than "Garden View Terrance" or "Maple Street."

[bvw]

He got ya! "No it ain't"!

[bvw]

"Old New Road" in Bucks County, PA.

[Stone Mountain]

The so-called double negative is a common and natural grammatical form (in French, ne {verb} pas, for example).

Yeah, in Japanese too. English is the only language I know that can use the double negative to imply a stronger negative rather than a postive...

[LarryLied]

And they no doubt called it that because it made perfect sense at the time.

[breakem]

I don't dislike your post.

[Wallaby]

There's a famous story about the topic of double negatives involving Sidney Morganbesser, a philosopher known for his ability to refute by counterexample.

About 30 years ago, a linguist was giving a talk at the MLA in which he claimed that a double negative can form a positive in English, while remaining a negative in other languages. By contrast, he continued, "there is no language in which a double positive forms a negative." From the back of the room, Morganbesser gave his famous retort: "Yeah, yeah!"

(variation of retort: "Yeah, right!")

[ErnBatavia]

another famous athleke quote:..."If it wasn't for footballs, I wouldn't be playing footballs today"

[Victoria Delsoul]

LOL!!! That's so funny! :-D

[Sir Gawain]

:-)

[Republicus2001]

maiming???

more info please

[Chad Fairbanks]

I ain't never had no trouble with no double negatives. My problem tends to be my dangling participle...