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From: iad@cogsci.ed.ac.uk (Ivan A Derzhanski)
Subject: Re: Comparison of languages for CS1 and CS2
Message-ID: <DD554o.MBH@cogsci.ed.ac.uk>
Organization: Centre for Cognitive Science, Edinburgh, UK
References: <DD38LB.4CA@tigadmin.ml.com> <40eai1$lms@pipe4.nyc.pipeline.com> <DD54E4.M0n@cogsci.ed.ac.uk>
Date: Fri, 11 Aug 1995 10:00:05 GMT
Lines: 25

In article <DD54E4.M0n@cogsci.ed.ac.uk> colin@cogsci.ed.ac.uk (Colin Matheson) writes:
>English looks as if it always had, and probably always will make use
>of, mulitiple negation as a means of emphasis.
>
>There's a song (from "Hair"?) that goes "Ain't got no ... (and
>so on)", and I'd be very surprised if anyone interprets that
>naturally as a positive.
[...]
>I for one have never heard the Big Bopper say "I ain't got no money
>honey" and ever, for an instant, got the impression that he was
>suggesting that he'd just been paid.

That's why people who work on multiple negation normally specify
which English they're talking of.  Negative concord is a feature of
some varieties of English, of which Modern Standard English is not one.

So although _I ain't got no money_ would be readily identified as an
instance of negative concord, I'm not sure that the same is true for
_I don't have no money_.  Other netters' opinions welcome, of course.

-- 
`Man, is that no terrible?  [...]  Ah wunner whit we should dae wi ye?'
Ivan A Derzhanski (iad@cogsci.ed.ac.uk)    (J Stuart, _Auld Testament Tales_)
* Centre for Cognitive Science,  2 Buccleuch Place,   Edinburgh EH8 9LW,  UK
* Cowan House E113, Pollock Halls, 18 Holyrood Pk Rd, Edinburgh EH16 5BD, UK
