Double Positives and Double Negatives

[LaurieAG]

Hi Hill,

Originally Posted by Hill

I'm positively sure there are some others.

I'm positively certain too, that these double positives are actually positive.

[LaurieAG]

Originally Posted by Turtle

In my example, poetic license took hold. Not bad, aye?

Hi Turtle,

Good one, but to be a bit difficult, how about a compound palindromic double positive/negative. I'll have a think about this one.

[Monomer]

Originally Posted by LaurieAG

Hi Monomer,
Maybe a Fleudian slip, we need education, we need thought control!

I know, I was merely quoting.

[LaurieAG]

Originally Posted by Monomer

I know, I was merely quoting.

I know Mono,

If I thought it was you I would have put 'Freudian' instead of 'Fleudian', Ha.

[eric l]

It seems a bit strange that you have no reactions from your South African members, since in Afrikaans the double negative is absolutely standard. (This first sentence in Afrikaans would become something like "... no reactions from none of your South African members")
In French, there is a problem : "jamais" as an exclamation means "never", but if used in a sentence, it has to be matched by "ne"
But double negative iare colloquially used in many local variants of Dutch as well, and I think in many other languages, too. I do remember hearing things like "nobody told me nothing..."
And listen (and look) to this : YouTube - THE DUBLINERS

(not all YouTube clips have to be about "serious" science)

[LaurieAG]

Originally Posted by Monomer

I know, I was merely quoting.

Hi Monomer,

After further thought I must relegate the Pink Floyd example to the 'poor english' category because the real statements would be:

'We don't need ANY education, we don't need ANY thought control'

[LaurieAG]

Originally Posted by eric l

It seems a bit strange that you have no reactions from your South African members, since in Afrikaans the double negative is absolutely standard. (This first sentence in Afrikaans would become something like "... no reactions from none of your South African members")
In French, there is a problem : "jamais" as an exclamation means "never", but if used in a sentence, it has to be matched by "ne"
But double negative iare colloquially used in many local variants of Dutch as well, and I think in many other languages, too. I do remember hearing things like "nobody told me nothing..."
And listen (and look) to this : YouTube - THE DUBLINERS

(not all YouTube clips have to be about "serious" science)

Hi Eric,

Some good examples 'never no more', but the 'nobody told me nothing' is another one where 'anything' should probably be substituted for 'nothing'.

[freeztar]

Isn't he never on time?
mmm-humph, I've never not seen him walk in late.

[Qfwfq]

It is certainly important to distinguish bad grammar from other cases. Now the case of:

"you can NOT expect me NOT to do"

isn't a case of bad grammer, it makes sense and is clearly not equivalent to:

"you can (NOT NOT) expect me to do"

because the first implies "I might" but, unlike the second, doesn't imply "I will". Cases such as "not unremarkable" are called understatements, a form of subtle humour by which the double negation is meant as being enhancive. It is likewise a form of humour when a double positive such as "yeah, sure" is meant as an enhanced negation.

[LaurieAG]

Originally Posted by Qfwfq

Cases such as "not unremarkable" are called understatements, a form of subtle humour by which the double negation is meant as being enhancive. It is likewise a form of humour when a double positive such as "yeah, sure" is meant as an enhanced negation.

Hi Q, good point,

It seems that a society develops linguistic sophistication as it develops a sense of humour.

But these types of structures can originate within a distinct group in society (like an inside joke) before becoming more widespread. I once wrote a Communications studies paper called 'When does a message become noise? when does noise become a message?', and, to me anyway, these types of things all depend on the context.