The teacher said "In English a double negative forms a positive.
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@kibcol1049
First day of English class, prof says that there two words that he never wants to see or hear. One of them is “nice” and the other is lousy. Someone in the back asks, “what are the two words?” -
The teacher said "In English a double negative forms a positive. In some languages, though, such as Russian, a double negative is still a negative. However, there is no language wherein a double positive can form a negative."
A voice from the back of the room piped up, "Yeah, right."@kibcol1049 Double plus good from 1984
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The teacher said "In English a double negative forms a positive. In some languages, though, such as Russian, a double negative is still a negative. However, there is no language wherein a double positive can form a negative."
A voice from the back of the room piped up, "Yeah, right."@kibcol1049 Also, of course, the usage in Ireland “I will, yeah”
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The teacher said "In English a double negative forms a positive. In some languages, though, such as Russian, a double negative is still a negative. However, there is no language wherein a double positive can form a negative."
A voice from the back of the room piped up, "Yeah, right."English is my second language and phrases like
"we don't want no education"
always bother me.
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The teacher said "In English a double negative forms a positive. In some languages, though, such as Russian, a double negative is still a negative. However, there is no language wherein a double positive can form a negative."
A voice from the back of the room piped up, "Yeah, right."The claim I have seen is that version of "right" derives from "hwaet", which was how a spoken story was opened, loosly meaning "pay attention" or, loosely, "wake up at the back." It's how "Beowulf" opens.
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English is my second language and phrases like
"we don't want no education"
always bother me.
@rzeta0 @kibcol1049 apparently the double negative thing is a convention rather than a hard rule. Double negative can make a sentence more klunky (sound awkward) and it is usually better to try and remove it busy most people simply would not care.
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The teacher said "In English a double negative forms a positive. In some languages, though, such as Russian, a double negative is still a negative. However, there is no language wherein a double positive can form a negative."
A voice from the back of the room piped up, "Yeah, right."@kibcol1049 here with my relevant username.
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The teacher said "In English a double negative forms a positive. In some languages, though, such as Russian, a double negative is still a negative. However, there is no language wherein a double positive can form a negative."
A voice from the back of the room piped up, "Yeah, right."@kibcol1049 California has also triple positive meaning "No". But there "Yes" often means "No" like in "If you want..." (I'd do it for you) Or "Maybe". ("Not really")
"Oh yeah for sure, yes" and more are very typical there. And Bavarian has quadruple negatives that stay negative. "Naa, koane Masern hob I no nia net gehabt!" for example. stays negative, the speaker never has caught the measles. @chillicampari can confirm -
@kibcol1049
First day of English class, prof says that there two words that he never wants to see or hear. One of them is “nice” and the other is lousy. Someone in the back asks, “what are the two words?”Tell us the lousy one first!
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The teacher said "In English a double negative forms a positive. In some languages, though, such as Russian, a double negative is still a negative. However, there is no language wherein a double positive can form a negative."
A voice from the back of the room piped up, "Yeah, right."This phrase is part of the language in Aotearoa New Zealand.
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English is my second language and phrases like
"we don't want no education"
always bother me.
@rzeta0 You and Pink Floyd too!
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@kibcol1049 here with my relevant username.
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@rzeta0 You and Pink Floyd too!
innit
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English is my second language and phrases like
"we don't want no education"
always bother me.
@rzeta0 @kibcol1049 Recursive joke, innit.
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@rzeta0 @kibcol1049 Recursive joke, innit.
@rzeta0 @kibcol1049 (Like "a little knowledge is a dangerous thing." (Pope actually said "a little *learning* is a dangerous thing."))
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@rzeta0 @kibcol1049 (Like "a little knowledge is a dangerous thing." (Pope actually said "a little *learning* is a dangerous thing."))
@rzeta0 @kibcol1049 (But that one is usually inadvertent. Pink Floyd did it on purpose.)
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The claim I have seen is that version of "right" derives from "hwaet", which was how a spoken story was opened, loosly meaning "pay attention" or, loosely, "wake up at the back." It's how "Beowulf" opens.
@Wolf_Baginski @kibcol1049 But Spanish has a similar expression: "Sí, claro", with the same negative meaning.
What happens is here irony acts, and that's why the meaning changes; it's not a syntax thing, like the double negative stuff. -
@rzeta0 @kibcol1049 apparently the double negative thing is a convention rather than a hard rule. Double negative can make a sentence more klunky (sound awkward) and it is usually better to try and remove it busy most people simply would not care.
@EF @rzeta0 @kibcol1049
A common issue in language learning/linguistics is how any given language uses double negatives and negative questions. -
@rzeta0 @kibcol1049 apparently the double negative thing is a convention rather than a hard rule. Double negative can make a sentence more klunky (sound awkward) and it is usually better to try and remove it busy most people simply would not care.
@EF @rzeta0 @kibcol1049 "I ain't not never doin' that no sir." Rolls right off the tongue.
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@EF @rzeta0 @kibcol1049
A common issue in language learning/linguistics is how any given language uses double negatives and negative questions.@HighlandLawyer @rzeta0 @kibcol1049 absolutely but in common speech, being understood and questioning where it is not clear, is easier. Am not a linguist so grammatical nuances are not my finest hour. I ask a lot of questions.
