Culture · 6 pages · 12 min

Why double negatives are grammar in some languages

In negative concord, extra negatives agree with each other instead of canceling like minus signs.

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From the opening

Double negatives are grammar in some languages because those languages use negative concord, where more than one negative word agrees to express a single negation. The extra negative belongs to the construction rather than adding a second logical denial. The opening covers concord agrees instead of canceling, spanish no vi nada is ordinary, and older English stacked negatives too.

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Inside

Concord agrees instead of canceling
Spanish no vi nada is ordinary
Older English stacked negatives too
A math rule became a style rule
Where the idea stops applying
A distinction worth keeping

Sources

Negative concord in languages such as Spanish
Prescriptive rejection of double negation in standard English

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Why double negatives are grammar in some languages

From the opening

Inside

Sources

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