Questions put in the negative

[Wilson Gray]

If that was your only answer, I don't know, for certain. I would
*guess* that that "yes" meant that you actually *do* carry the 8-ounce
packages, but I wouldn't feel the certainty that you carry them that I
would feel in the other case. That's a creepy example. ;-)

-Wilson

On Thu, Mar 27, 2008 at 11:10 PM, Joel S. Berson <Berson at att.net> wrote:
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>  Poster:       "Joel S. Berson" <Berson at ATT.NET>
>
> Subject:      Re: Questions put in the negative
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>
>  Wilson, if you had asked me just "You don't carry the 8-ounce packages
>  any more?" (rising inflection, to make it a question) and I answered
>  "yes" (both speaking English as best we can), what would you take my
>  "yes" to mean?
>
>  I -- perhaps being strange -- took it, when supplemented by the "do
>  you?", to mean he agreed with me.  What surprised me about myself, in
>  retrospect, is that I didn't pause to think it over.
>
>  Joel
>
>
>
>  At 3/27/2008 10:38 PM, Wilson Gray wrote:
>  >Strange. It seems perfectly clear to me that, in a case like this,
>  >"yes" *has* to mean that they *do* still carry the 8-ounce packages.
>  >However, if this conversation were to be carried on in Russian, then
>  >the reply, "da," would mean, "Yes, (you are correct; we don't carry
>  >the 8-ounce packages, anymore.)," whereas the reply, "niet," would
>  >mean, "No, (you are incorrect; we do carry the 8-ounce packages,
>  >anymore).
>  >
>  >-Wilson
>  >
>  >On Thu, Mar 27, 2008 at 11:44 AM, Joel S. Berson <Berson at att.net> wrote:
>  > > ---------------------- Information from the mail header
>  > -----------------------
>  > >  Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
>  > >  Poster:       "Joel S. Berson" <Berson at ATT.NET>
>  > >  Subject:      Questions put in the negative
>  > >
>  > -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>  > >
>  > >  For a moment, I thought I was in Japan ...
>  > >
>  > >  At the supermarket yesterday, I was looking for 8-ounce packages of
>  > >  smoked salmon, and found only the 4-ounce packages.  I asked the man
>  > >  at the seafood counter, which was around the corner, "You don't carry
>  > >  the 8-ounce packages any more, do you?"  When he replied "yes", I was
>  > >  disappointed and started to wheel my cart away.  But I heard his
>  > >  voice behind me, saying "Come with me."  He had emerged from behind
>  > >  the counter to show me that the 8-ounce packages were available.
>  > >
>  > >  Clearly I had very quickly, without any cogitation, assumed he meant
>  > >  to agree with my hypothetical:  "You don't carry them any more?";
>  > >  "Yes, we don't carry them any more."  He clearly meant "Yes, we do
>  > >  have them still" -- perhaps an agreement with the second part of my
>  > >  question, "do you?".
>  > >
>  > >  My bad: two questions in one -- and one negative, one positive.  If I
>  > >  had asked only "Don't you carry the 8-ounce packages any more?" and
>  > >  he had responded "Yes", I would at least have been uncertain!  "Yes,
>  > >  I agree with you, we don't", or "Yes, we do carry them"? -- and asked
>  > >  for clarification.  (If he had responded "No", I would have been sure
>  > >  they didn't carry them.)
>  > >
>  > >  Joel
>  > >
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>  >
>  >
>  >--
>  >All say, "How hard it is that we have to die"---a strange complaint to
>  >come from the mouths of people who have had to live.
>  >-----
>  >  -Sam'l Clemens
>  >
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--
All say, "How hard it is that we have to die"---a strange complaint to
come from the mouths of people who have had to live.
-----
 -Sam'l Clemens

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The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org