Wordsmith.org: the magic of words

Wordsmith Talk

About Us | What's New | Search | Site Map | Contact Us  

Previous Thread
Next Thread
Print Thread
Page 1 of 3 1 2 3
#187550 11/01/09 03:04 PM
Joined: Aug 2005
Posts: 3,290
zmjezhd Offline OP
Carpal Tunnel
OP Offline
Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Aug 2005
Posts: 3,290
I was looking at Robert of Gloucester's Metrical Chronicle (ca.1330 CE), especially the earlier bits he cribbed from Geoffrey of Monmouth's Historia Regum Britanniæ. I was struck by this passage especially:
Quote:
Þo biþoȝte vortiger · mest of alle þinge ·
Hou he miȝte do quoyntelucost · þat he him sulf were king ·
Vor þat was alwei is þoȝt · & þeruore the monek he nom ·
To be king vor he was nyce · & ne couþe no wisdom ·

Then Vortigern understood; above all things;
How he might carry out most cunningly; that he himself were king;
For that was always his thought; and therefore he took the monk;
to be king because he was foolish; and he knew not no wisdom;
Here we have nice meaning 'foolish' and a full-blown double negative.


Ceci n'est pas un seing.
Joined: Jun 2006
Posts: 5,295
Carpal Tunnel
Offline
Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Jun 2006
Posts: 5,295
þ that the character meaning th? Funny. : -)

Joined: Mar 2000
Posts: 6,511
Carpal Tunnel
Offline
Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Mar 2000
Posts: 6,511
Love the thread title, Nuncle, and I'm sure Faldage will love the last line as much as I do. Thanks for posting it.

Joined: Jun 2002
Posts: 7,210
Carpal Tunnel
Offline
Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Jun 2002
Posts: 7,210
niþ


formerly known as etaoin...
Joined: Mar 2000
Posts: 11,613
Carpal Tunnel
Offline
Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Mar 2000
Posts: 11,613
But can we count it as a full-blown double negative when 'no' in the modernized version clearly equals 'any'?

Joined: Dec 2000
Posts: 13,803
Carpal Tunnel
Offline
Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Dec 2000
Posts: 13,803
Originally Posted By: Jackie
But can we count it as a full-blown double negative when 'no' in the modernized version clearly equals 'any'?


Sure we can. We replaced the no with the any because we got bullied into thinking negative harmony was wrong.

Joined: Mar 2000
Posts: 11,613
Carpal Tunnel
Offline
Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Mar 2000
Posts: 11,613
negative harmony I love it! laugh

Edit: that means the notes below the tonic, right?

Last edited by Jackie; 11/03/09 03:05 AM.
Joined: Dec 2000
Posts: 13,803
Carpal Tunnel
Offline
Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Dec 2000
Posts: 13,803
I couldn't find any non-musical hits when I googled it but I can't believe I coined the term. Maybe Nuncle Z could help me out here.

Joined: Aug 2005
Posts: 3,290
zmjezhd Offline OP
Carpal Tunnel
OP Offline
Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Aug 2005
Posts: 3,290
I couldn't find any non-musical hits when I googled it but I can't believe I coined the term.

No help here. I knew what you meant by harmony. When I googled with the following, "negative harmony" -music -tone, this thread comes up midway down the first page of hits.


Ceci n'est pas un seing.
Joined: Dec 2000
Posts: 13,803
Carpal Tunnel
Offline
Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Dec 2000
Posts: 13,803
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.'

Page 1 of 3 1 2 3

Moderated by  Jackie 

Link Copied to Clipboard
Forum Statistics
Forums16
Topics13,913
Posts229,580
Members9,187
Most Online3,341
Dec 9th, 2011
Newest Members
Karin, JeffMackwood, artguitar, Jim_W, Rdbuffalo
9,187 Registered Users
Who's Online Now
0 members (), 332 guests, and 0 robots.
Key: Admin, Global Mod, Mod
Top Posters(30 Days)
Top Posters
wwh 13,858
Faldage 13,803
Jackie 11,613
wofahulicodoc 10,713
tsuwm 10,542
LukeJavan8 9,931
AnnaStrophic 6,511
Wordwind 6,296
of troy 5,400
Disclaimer: Wordsmith.org is not responsible for views expressed on this site. Use of this forum is at your own risk and liability - you agree to hold Wordsmith.org and its associates harmless as a condition of using it.

Home | Today's Word | Yesterday's Word | Subscribe | FAQ | Archives | Search | Feedback
Wordsmith Talk | Wordsmith Chat

© 1994-2024 Wordsmith

Powered by UBB.threads™ PHP Forum Software 7.7.5