|
ESL Forum:
Techniques and methods
in Language Teaching
Games, activities
and teaching ideas
Grammar and
Linguistics
Teaching material
Concerning
worksheets
Concerning
powerpoints
Concerning online
exercises
Make suggestions,
report errors
Ask for help
Message board
|
ESL forum >
> IN TWO MINDS.
IN TWO MINDS.
|
Greek Professor
|
IN TWO MINDS.
|
|
Hello Everyone, I would like some help.
I have a sentence here : "I didn �t see nobody"
Now... I know what it means but I also have a second meaning.
Could you please enlighten me....
Thanks in advance
GP |
11 May 2012
|
|
|
|
Mariethe House
|
dear Effie, I don �t understand your question
|
11 May 2012
|
|
|
ueslteacher
|
|
Yeah, Effie, What do you mean? Double negation is characteristic of African American Vernacular English (AAVE)�recently called African American Language (AAL) also called African American English Negative concord, popularly called "double negation", as in I didn �t go nowhere; if the sentence is negative, all negatable forms are negated. This contrasts with Standard English, where a double negative is considered incorrect to mean anything other than a positive (although this wasn �t always so; see double negative). There is also "triple" or "multiple negation", as in the phrase I don �t know nothing about no one no more (in Standard English "I don �t know anything about anyone anymore").
Sophia |
11 May 2012
|
|
|
MoodyMoody
|
|
Most American English speakers would understand this sentence to mean "I didn �t see anybody" or "I saw nobody," but would also believe that the speaker was uneducated or saying it that way for humorous intent.
It is certainly used that way by many African American speakers, but it is by no means limited to them. If a white person says it, most people think, "redneck" or "poor white trash" unless it �s obvious that it �s done mockingly. |
11 May 2012
|
|
|
Jayho
|
|
Hi GP
I am a tad confused with your post
Naturally we tend to think that it means either that somone didn�t see anyone in particular, or maybe they did but don�t want the enquirer to know (you know, we hear it in the TV police shows all the time "I saw nuthin � " when they really did see the crime).
Is that what you mean? Is that the two meanings you are referring to?
Cheers from the land of Ozzzzz
Jayho
|
11 May 2012
|
|
|
libertybelle
|
That sentence is incorrect.
If anything - it �s a slang term from long ago. Sort of New York slang spoken by gangsters in the �20 �s or 30 �s or perhaps from a gangster film from that era.
|
11 May 2012
|
|
|
|
|
Elenie
|
Of course such an expression is incorrect and would be used to show that someone is uneducated or being funny...just like MoodyMoody said.But what if it is meant to be sarcastic or to imply something??...If you put it in context it makes more sense.
For example, a detective is questioning some eye-witnesses, who are afraid to say what they saw. So they all said they saw nothing or nobody...The detective asks one of them that looks nervous and says: "What about you? You saw �nobody �, too?" And the eye-witness replies: "Well, I DIDN �T SEE NOBODY, but I saw...." |
11 May 2012
|
|
|
ueslteacher
|
|
BTW in one series I saw when two young people were getting married, their African American friend, who happened to be the groom �s best man at the moment, said, "Don �t nobody say nothing!" when the minister asked the question whether there was somebody who knew any lawful reason why the two couldn �t get married:) Sophia
|
11 May 2012
|
|
|
Elenie
|
Of course such an expression is incorrect and would be used to show that someone is uneducated or being funny...just like MoodyMoody said.But what if it is meant to be sarcastic or to imply something??...If you put it in context it makes more sense.
For example, a detective is questioning some eye-witnesses, who are afraid to say what they saw. So they all said they saw nothing or nobody...The detective asks one of them that looks nervous and says: "What about you? You saw �nobody �, too?" And the eye-witness replies: "Well, I DIDN �T SEE NOBODY, but I saw...." |
11 May 2012
|
|
|
ueslteacher
|
|
Is there a reason why you pushed my post up with an absolutely identical post of your own, Elenie? Sophia |
11 May 2012
|
|
1
2
Next >
|
