LL-L "Expressions" 2002.12.26 (01) [E/S]

[Lowlands-L]

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 A=Afrikaans Ap=Appalachian B=Brabantish D=Dutch E=English F=Frisian
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From: Sandy Fleming <sandy at fleemin.fsnet.co.uk>
Subject: Syntax

>> From: George M Gibault <gmg at direct.ca>
>> Subject: Negatives and borrowings
>>
>> Hi again!
>>
>> The multiplication of negatives reminds me of a lovely line in a well
known
>> Scots and sometimes Irish folksong "The Wild Rover" the chorus of which
>> goes:
>>
>> "No nay never - no nay never no more
>> Will I play the wild rover
>> No never no more."

But is this really double negation? I would parse it like this:

"No, nay, never - no, nay, never, no more
Will I play the wild rover,
Nay, never, no more."

Not a double negative in sight!

I think the real problem with double negatives isn't in speech but in
writing.
In speech one has emphasis, tone, context, gesture and verification - and
even dialectical cues such as accent - to make clear what's meant. These
are mostly absent from writing, and especially formal or technical writing.
I wouldn't like to come across this in a technical document:

"In most cases within Perl code it isn't necessary to use no array indexes."

It is just impossible to know whether the negative is being used additively
or multiplicatively. In conversation this would be acceptable however, as
if the speaker was just using negatives for emphasis he would be shaking
his head or something to make this clear.

>> The Scots have lovely ways of being emphatic - as the recent paperback
>> collection of maledictions "Awa and Bile Yer Heid" makes clear.

Yes, lovely George!  :)  And used copiously where I come from! Most such
Scots expressions would never make it through a publishing house, though:

"Awa an shite a brick."          (Go to hell)
"Thick as shite in a bottle."     (Thick in the head)
"Di'a gie'z yer pish."               (Don't give me such nonsense)
"He wadna gie ye the reek aff his shite."     (He's very stingy)
"Happy as a dug wi twa cocks."      (Very happy)

Sandy
http://scotstext.org/

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