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Originally Posted By: Faldage
Well, I just guess I'll have to define it my own self:

Negative harmony is the requirement that if a verb is negated in a sentence then either the subject or the object or both must also be negated, Examples

English - I ain't got no money

Spanish - No hay nada 'There isn't nothing.'

Russian - Я не знаю. Я ничего никогда не знаю. 'I don't know. I don't never know nothing.'


So the French "ne ... pas" would be another example?

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I can't believe I coined the term Well, apparently you did--congratulations! laugh And you are perfectly entitled to define it yourself, which you did exactly in accordance with what I thought you meant!

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So the French "ne ... pas" would be another example?

I'll let Faldo answer the question as it's his term, but I must address the French constructions: pas < Latin passus 'step'; just like rien < res 'thing'. Basically a positive word becoming a negative one. Good is bad, up is down, etc.


Ceci n'est pas un seing.
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Originally Posted By: zmjezhd
So the French "ne ... pas" would be another example?

I'll let Faldo answer the question as it's his term, but I must address the French constructions: pas < Latin passus 'step'; just like rien < res 'thing'. Basically a positive word becoming a negative one. Good is bad, up is down, etc.


sorry i am a little confused. i was asking not about the etymology of pas but if the French use of two negative elements is similar to the other examples. from the little french I know I believe that both "ne" and "pas" are negatives now, so that would be a 'double negative', no? I think i am getting beyond my ability to understand or express here.

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i was asking not about the etymology of pas but if the French use of two negative elements is similar to the other examples. from the little french I know I believe that both "ne" and "pas" are negatives now, so that would be a 'double negative', no?

Yes, today they are a double negative. I was just rhapsodizing on their etymologies. Pas started out as a non-negative.


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Originally Posted By: zmjezhd
i was asking not about the etymology of pas but if the French use of two negative elements is similar to the other examples. from the little french I know I believe that both "ne" and "pas" are negatives now, so that would be a 'double negative', no?

Yes, today they are a double negative. I was just rhapsodizing on their etymologies. Pas started out as a non-negative.


Thank you. I appreciate the clarification.

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Originally Posted By: zmjezhd
Pas started out as a non-negative.


Which, of course, is all the peevologist proponents of the etymological fallacy need to claim it's not an example of negative harmony.

Speaking of negative harmony. surely there must be a Proper Linguistic Term for it. It's not like it isn't a feature of many languages.

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Proper Linguistic Term

Sure, how about negative concord or multiple negation? See Wikipedia entry for double negative or The cameleontic nature of French ni: Negative coordination in a negative concord language).


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It's not like it isn't a feature of many languages. grin

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A) I thought I'd posted this a week ago, but:

D'oh! Negative concord! Of course!

and

2)
Originally Posted By: Jackie
It's not like it isn't a feature of many languages. grin

That's not quite the same thing. Yeah, there's two negatives in there but they're not supporting each other. It's like the difference between

a) I couldn't fail to disagree with you less.

and

ii) I don't like to have to kill nobody without they ain't no chance of no gold in it for me.

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