A linguistics professor was lecturing his class. "In English, a double negative is a positive. In some languages, like Russian, a double negative is still a negative. But, there is no language wherein a double positive can be a negative."
A voice from the back of the room piped up, "Yeah, right."
A voice from the back of the room piped up, "Yeah, right."
Comments
The occasion was a seminar by JL Austin. The brilliant smartass in the back was the philosopher Sidney Morgenbesser.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/J._L._Austin#:~:text=During%20a%20lecture,as%20%22Yeah%2C%20right.%22)
https://www.nytimes.com/2004/08/04/us/sidney-morgenbesser-82-kibitzing-philosopher-dies.html
He's famous for working in an area called pragmatism, but said: "Pragmatism is great in theory, but it doesn't work in practice."
https://www.someweekendreading.blog/quotes/#:~:text=%E2%80%9CYeah%2C%20right!%E2%80%9D%20%E2%80%94,audience%20of%20insiders.)
Cork boy!!!!
Double negative is STILL Negative
Double Positive - Negative
One positive & one negative - (you guessed it) - Negative.
Itβs surreal.
"I never was, nor never will be."
He replied: βwho, me?β
Bob, where Peter had had "had", had had "had had"; "had had" had had the teacher's approval.
It's a real slapdown.
But yβall yonder do.
I still forget sometimes.
This always causes confusion if someone asks me whether my dog ever bites anyone.
Auch- Morgen *ist* eigentlich echt besser! Es freut mich
Nice.
yeah no yeah
no yeah no
yeah no
no yeah
are all different things
or a no (I disagree).
Yeah nah.
(or does it??)
WELL DONE!
Yeah nah is different - it implies that you gave something due consideration (measurable in milliseconds) before deciding no. And it isn't a double positive.
xwo Shinakerebaikemasen
You must not not do = you absolutely must do x
Language is fun
In the examples the two words are +ve but put together they make a negative.
(Itβs a funny joke. Sorry if over explaining has killed it)
https://vm.tiktok.com/ZMkxBnAee/
Constructs like "nimeni nu faci nimic" (nobody is not doing nothing == nobody does anything) make my brain bleed...