Friday Funnies: Grammar Sheriff

[ariestess]

Welcome to another installment of the Friday Funnies! Just on a Monday!

{Bonus points to anyone who gets that reference.}


Cyanide & Happiness (Explosm.net)

Even when I hear things like this being said in Westerns or by "hillbillies", it still makes my skin crawl. But I'd be a hypocrite if I said I've never used a double negative before. My prime transgression? "Ain't nobody got no time for that."

So what's your favorite double negative to say?

Comments

[lmichelle599.livejournal.com]

I'm bad about saying can't hardly.

[ariestess]

Oh, I may have done that, too! LOL

[morethanmending.livejournal.com]

LOL, awesome cartoon. Grammar Sheriff upholds the law once more. ;)

I think my biggest use of a double negative is adding "don't never" into sentences, but it's usually when I'm going for emphasis or humor.

[alumfelga.livejournal.com]

I'm not a native speaker and double negatives puzzle me a bit (they are permitted and often necessary in my native language). I know the rules and I understand sentences like "I can't not go to work" where two negatives sort of cancel each other, but I'm confused with sentences like "we don't need no education". When a native speaker uses a double negative like that, is the intention to make the (negative) statement stronger, somewhat more emotional? Is the intention clear to other native speakers or do they think the person doesn't know grammar? Also, you tagged the post "English dialects"; are there groups of people who are known to use double negatives more often than others? Clearly I need to watch some Westerns ;) I hope you don't mind me asking all those questions, I'd just like to know more.

[ariestess]

There are times when double negatives are all right.

In your example of "we don't need no education", the better way to say it is "we don't need any education".

There are certain areas of the US where double negatives seem to be used more. It can also be seen as a sign of different levels of education and/or a possible racial bias.

[germankitty]

The quote? I'm very (nostalgically) tempted to say it comes from the sadly-defunct ljdq!

[ariestess]

I don't know about that comm, but that's not the reference I intended. It's more of a pop culture reference.

[germankitty]

Yeah, well, I suspected as much. :-) The LJDQ was often about pop culture references ... which I, as a non-American/non-Brit, am largely unfamiliar with. (Like, I know what "Friday funnies" are from movies/TV/books, but it's not a part of my culture.) I can just fake it reasonably well. ^_~

[ariestess]

Understandable.

[vamysteryfan.livejournal.com]

"It don't make me no never mind"