Double Negation
Introduction
As a universally used linguistic structure, double negation has long attracted the attention of scholars in foreign countries. But so far the research of double negation is limited to the study and analysis of negative words, negative markers and the surface structure of double negation, and is also restricted to one particular language. Despite the rallying cries of grammarians to banish the double negative, many people see the construction as a logical and vital part of the English language. The grammar rules enforced by grade-school teachers can stick in the brain as reflexive laws that must be followed: it is incorrect to start a sentence with "but" or end one with “of” make sure your subjects and verbs agree; double negatives are illogical, etc. But many matters in grammar are not straightforward, and the double negative is a good example.
Double Negation
No is one of the most powerful words in the English language. When toddlers grasp how powerful no is, they often become intoxicated with it, saying no to everything, even the things they want. It gets a response, people pay attention, and it infuriates parents. As children grow, they use no differently, but its raw, naked power is always there: used at the right time, no can stop people in their tracks.
How we express no has, and continues to be, a dynamic feature of the English language. As with small children, people through history who have had no power have been able to express some tiny element of power just by saying no. But how they express that no has been the subject of social and grammatical wrangling through the ages.
For many centuries, all elements of the English-speaking world used the double, even triple, negative to express negation. Fowler defines the double or triple negative as the “repetition of uncancelling negatives”, as in, “I’m not working no overtime tonight.” Geoffrey Chaucer used the multiple negative in the
As a universally used linguistic structure, double negation has long attracted the attention of scholars in foreign countries. But so far the research of double negation is limited to the study and analysis of negative words, negative markers and the surface structure of double negation, and is also restricted to one particular language. Despite the rallying cries of grammarians to banish the double negative, many people see the construction as a logical and vital part of the English language. The grammar rules enforced by grade-school teachers can stick in the brain as reflexive laws that must be followed: it is incorrect to start a sentence with "but" or end one with “of” make sure your subjects and verbs agree; double negatives are illogical, etc. But many matters in grammar are not straightforward, and the double negative is a good example.
Double Negation
No is one of the most powerful words in the English language. When toddlers grasp how powerful no is, they often become intoxicated with it, saying no to everything, even the things they want. It gets a response, people pay attention, and it infuriates parents. As children grow, they use no differently, but its raw, naked power is always there: used at the right time, no can stop people in their tracks.
How we express no has, and continues to be, a dynamic feature of the English language. As with small children, people through history who have had no power have been able to express some tiny element of power just by saying no. But how they express that no has been the subject of social and grammatical wrangling through the ages.
For many centuries, all elements of the English-speaking world used the double, even triple, negative to express negation. Fowler defines the double or triple negative as the “repetition of uncancelling negatives”, as in, “I’m not working no overtime tonight.” Geoffrey Chaucer used the multiple negative in the
References: Baugh, A. and Cable, T. (1978). A history of the English language. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall, Inc. The Cambridge guide to English usage A comprehensive grammar of the English language. (1985). Harlow, England: Longman Group Limited Crystal, D Fowler, H.W. (2000). The new Fowler’s modern English usage. Oxford, United Kingdom: Oxford University Press Merriam-Webster’s dictionary of English usage. (1994). Springfield, MA: Merriam Webster Mitchell, L Sidnell, J. (2002) African American Vernacular English (AAVE) Grammar. 1.7, p. 16. Retrieved April 19, 2009, from http://individual.utoronto.ca/jsidnell/SidnellAAVEGrammar.pdf Thompson, K. Blacks at odds over scrutiny of president. The Washington Post, Monday, April 6, 2009; p. 1. Wolfram, W Retrieved April 21, 2009, from http://www.ncsu.edu/linguistics/docs/pdfs/walt/PDF-Urban_AAE.pdf