Double negatives

[AnnaAlbert]

Hello, teachers. I have a question.
Why do you think double negatives are considered normal in some English dialects, while in standard English they are considered a grammatical error? When I listen to content in English, I can't always know how to translate a sentence with a double negative. Can you please give me some advice about how to avoid getting confused when learning the language?

 

[Tarheel]

Hello, teachers. I have a question.
Why do you think double negatives are considered normal in some English dialects, while in standard English they are considered a grammatical error? When I listen to content in English, I DON'T always know how to translate a sentence with a double negative. Can you please give me some advice about how to avoid getting confused when learning the language?

The "rule" against double negatives is based on mathematics. In theory, the two negatives cancel each other out. In fact, the so-called double negative is often used for emphasis.

 

[Skrej]

With any dialect, you're going to have deviations from the "standard" variant. This is true not just in English but any language with multiple dialects or regional variations.

Partly that's because it's difficult to say what's "standard" - standard to whom? What makes one variant more official than another? That's a separate debate, however.

The answer to your second question is fairly easy - avoid the double negative if you're translating, speaking, or writing for a wide audience of English speakers - especially anything formal or academic.

There's no real logical reason why we avoid it in English, that I'm aware of. You'll hear that a double negative makes a positive, and while that holds true in mathematics, language isn't math. Many languages routinely accept the double negative (Spanish, Russian and Polish spring to mind).

If you're looking for a solid reason why we avoid them in English, then as the Rolling Stones tell us, it's likely you "can't get no satisfaction".

 

[SoothingDave]

I would hazard a guess that, in casual contexts, the double negative is meant as a positive 99% of the time.

 

[jutfrank]

I presume that the OP is asking about those cases in dialectical speech where a double negative makes a negative, not a positive.

I ain't got no money = I've got no money

 

[SoothingDave]

To clarify, the double does not negate, it amplifies.

 

[Tarheel]

I presume that the OP is asking about those cases in dialectical speech where a double negative makes a negative, not a positive.

I ain't got no money = I've got no money

Yes, but native speakers focus on meaning, not rules. Nobody would mistake the meaning of that sentence.

 

[jutfrank]

I would hazard a guess that, in casual contexts, the double negative is meant as a positive 99% of the time.

To clarify, the double does not negate, it amplifies.

I don't think I've understood what you're saying, SoothingDave.

 

[jutfrank]

Why do you think double negatives are considered normal in some English dialects, while in standard English they are considered a grammatical error?

They're not so much ungrammatical as illogical, analytically speaking. In logic, two negatives make a positive. That's the issue.

When you say, "considered normal in some dialects", I presume you're talking about cases where two negatives are meant as a negative, not a positive. Right?

When I listen to content in English, I can't always know how to translate a sentence with a double negative. Can you please give me some advice about how to avoid getting confused when learning the language?

You simply have to understand what the person means. As with any kind of interpretation, this comes largely from an understanding of the context of the particular utterance.

 

[SoothingDave]

I don't think I've understood what you're saying, SoothingDave.

I misspoke originally. It should have said "positive."

I then attempted to clarify that a second negative does not cancel the first one out (negate), but amplifies it.