Double Negatives

[Bender]

anyone notice how the double negative concept relates similarly in different subjects

take language and math as prime examples. a double negative sum in math equals positive, and a double negative clause has a positive meaning

check out wiki: Double negative - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

'the double negative is often considered the mark of an uneducated speaker, but it used to be quite common in English, even in literature.'

i think many people use double negatives in language without realising it or having a full understanding of the concept. unless you are a zen master and paradox has become your ultimate bitch ...

language can play many tricks, and to many a simple mind a double negative can appear negative, as it is not defined as positive in the first instance

is the, do you think the double negative concept irrational

 

[Bobby Sands]

are you still smoking that shit?

 

[Da_Funk]

a double negative sum in math equals positive,

No.

...

 

[Flipmo]

lol, these are the times where Yeshua makes me crack a smile.

 

[Chronic]

I think you're asking a question that simply isn't there.

do you think the double negative concept irrational

The concept of a double negative is something that exists within language. That system is based on a set of rules and a double negative is either faulty use of language or an outdated usage of the English language (I assume you're talking about English since it differs from language to language). Where does logic come into play? You can ask if it's irrational but the answer is a very simple no. Unless you've discovered a mistake in the English language.

i think many people use double negatives in language without realising it or having a full understanding of the concept.

Which is why

'the double negative is often considered the mark of an uneducated speaker

If you look on the wiki page the only examples of when a double negative becomes a positive are before 1800. That rule used to apply.

There's the Prince William quote "There isn't a day when I don't think about her." but as wiki says "This is not double negative, since the two negatives are in different clauses". That sentence does technically contain two negatives but again to quote: "A double negative occurs when two forms of negation are used in the same clause."

To use an example of what is considered a double negative:

"We do not need no education".

This is incorrect usage of English. Two wiki quotes "Double negatives are generally not used in written varieties of Standard English" and "Often double negatives are considered incorrect grammatical usages"

This is one of those cases. There's the English language and within this language are set rules. The Pink Floyd quote breaks those rules and this particular breaking of rules is called a 'double negative'.

You see here a double negative (not and no) but it doesn't have a positive meaning. Although grammatically incorrect within English it means "we do not need education". As you can see it doesn't become a positive but one negative falls away, leaving a negative behind.

language can play many tricks, and to many a simple mind a double negative can appear negative, as it is not defined as positive in the first instance

It doesn't "appear" to be negative, it is. I'm not an expert but this stuff is for grammar and syntax books, not for questions of logic or lack thereof.

 

[masta247]

Sometimes it's hard to analyze english sentences using logic because if you look around many people are not logic. It doesn't mean that they are correct.
In my language it's hard to make any logic mistake, in english they are quite common and some popular sentences are not logic but in use by many people.
Sometimes saying "no" people don't mean ~true which might be confusing if you wan't to apply logic there. You can take Chronic's example as.. example.