Newsgroups: sci.lang
Path: cantaloupe.srv.cs.cmu.edu!rochester!udel!gatech!howland.reston.ans.net!ix.netcom.com!netcom.com!sarima
From: sarima@netcom.com (Stanley Friesen)
Subject: Re: Double Negatives
Message-ID: <sarimaDDFvFx.9ox@netcom.com>
Organization: NETCOM On-line Communication Services (408 261-4700 guest)
References: <00994B4F.3BE17BC2@vms.csd.mu.edu> <1995Aug14.171337.232@relay.acadiau.ca>
Date: Thu, 17 Aug 1995 05:04:45 GMT
Lines: 25
Sender: sarima@netcom8.netcom.com

In article <1995Aug14.171337.232@relay.acadiau.ca>,
Alan McKay <alan@dragon.acadiau.ca> wrote:
>
>e.g.
>Ja nitchevo ne znaju.
>I nothing not know.	(I don't know anything)

Colloquial English:
_I don't know nothin_
>
>Ja ni o tchjom nitchevo ne znaju.
>I not about anything nothing not know.  (I don't know anything about anything)

_I don't know nothin 'bout nothin_

>Does anyone happen to know who it was who arbitrarily decided that 
>they were bad in English?  When?  Why?

About the time we decided that the classical Romans and Greeks were
the height of civilization, and decided to imitate them in all things.
-- 
NAMES: sarima@netcom.com swf@ElSegundoCA.attgis.com

May the peace of God be with you.

