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50Бюллетень науки и практики /Bulletin of Science and Practice Т. 7. №7. 2021
https://www.bulletennauki.com https://doi.org/10.33619/2414-2948/68
UDC 82 https://doi.org/10.33619/2414-2948/68/59
SCOPE OF NEGATION: THEORY AND DOUBLE NEGATIVES
©Tursunova N., ORCID: 0000-0001-9279-1345, Ph.D., Tashkent State University of Oriental Studies, Tashkent, Uzbekistan, niluchyan7@gmail.com
ГРАНИЦЫ ОТРИЦАНИЯ: ТЕОРИЯ И ДВОЙНЫЕ ОТРИЦАНИЯ
©Турсунова Н., ORCID: 0000-0001-9279-1345, Ph.D., Ташкентский государственный университет востоковедения, г. Ташкент, Узбекистан, niluchyan7@gmail.com
Abstract. Research on the negative particles, studied in the context of pragmalinguistics and sociopragmatics serves to a deeper comprehending of the specifics of speech issues. In particular, due to the concept of negation, which is one of the integral units of speech, and the criteria for its application are various in different languages, it is important to study the specifics, similarities, and differences of negation in different languages on the basis of the comparative method. In this article scope of negation and its theoretical as well as double negatives will be discussed by contrasting different languages.
Аннотация. Исследование отрицательных частиц в контексте прагмалингвистики и социопрагматики служат для более глубокого понимания специфики проблем речи. В частности, из-за концепции отрицания, которое является одной из неотъемлемых единиц речи, а критерии ее применения различны в разных языках, важно изучить особенности, сходство и различия отрицания в разных языках. В статье обсуждаются границы отрицания, теория, и двойные отрицания путем сопоставления в различных языках.
Keywords: scope of negation, framework, world linguistics, comparative study, double negation
Ключевые слова: границы отрицания, рамки, мировая лингвистика, сравнительное исследование, двойное отрицание.
Negation is an actual topic across languages. Each language has its grammatical and pragmatic tools to express the negation. A significant suggestions and results can be proven when we analyze our target topic by comparing with other different languages. The linguistic category of negation has a peculiar features among the numerous linguistic categories, as it most vividly and directly expresses the corresponding category of logic, indicating the correlation between language and intellection, language and objective reality. Statements containing negation are quite common in all functional styles of the language.
Theory — Literature review: The speaker (writer) makes them use of not only when he denies something or tries to give a negative answer to a question asked to him, but also in the case that something asserts or proves or simply expresses his opinion. Linguists show great interest in this phenomenon and study it in a number of languages of the world [1].
As noted by A. I. Bakharev, in logic, negation is an object of research that reflects reality and is the category where the unity of thought and language is most clearly manifested. He concludes that "... the more universal a conceptual category, the more it corresponds to both thinking and language". Thus, linguistic negation belongs to those linguistic categories that most fully correspond to logical categories [2].
Laurence R. Horn wrote his work on the history of negation in 1989. Horn presents the history of negation from Aristotle to the present day in his work. He describes logical negation, the psychology of negation, and other pragmatic and semantic phenomena [3]. 70 years before Horn, Jespersen wrote his first work on negation. This research written in English and other languages in 1917 [4]. According to this work, Dale presented the term "Jespersen circle" [5]. Miestamo
Бюллетень науки и практики /Bulletin of Science and Practice Т. 7. №7. 2021
https://www.bulletennauki.com https://doi.org/10.33619/2414-2948/68
describes Jespersen's circle as a process as "... elements that serve to reinforce negation are considered as signs of negation" [6]. This used to study the basics of the origin of negation features in language. Jespersen's work remains a classic with its power of influence to this day.
Klima wrote a work on the expression of negation in English in 1964 [7]. This research work is sometimes referred to as "Klima's tests". These tests are used to identify speech negation and separate it into components.
According to Kalinina, there are currently two independent types of the concept of negation: traditional and updated. While the first approach representatives view this category as a grammatical, objective-logical category of language that reflects real events in the relationship of things, in the updated approach it is interpreted as a category of negation subjective-gnoseological character, under the updated approach, negation is interpreted as a subjective-gnoseological characterized category, defined to evaluate incorrectly in relation to reality [8].
According to Mustayoki, negation is a simple category from an ontological point of view. This category indicates whether a particular condition exists or not. Negation is an expression of the affirmation or denial of the existence of an existing condition [9].
According to A. I. Bakharev, negation is a special way of confirmation. It is a statement of the absence of an object, sign, or event expressed through language [2].
Most world linguists classify negation on the following two points (principles) in modern English. One is lexical-syntactic, the other is morphological. According to the lexical-syntactic classification, the following types of negation are recognized when their meaning is consistent with the syntactic functions.
Double negation
Researchable questions on Negation is truly deep and multirange. Among the plenty of research topics related to negation, double negatives has been chosen for detailed comparative investigation.
A double negative is a construction occurring when two forms of grammatical negation are used in the same sentence. Multiple negation is the more general term referring to the occurrence of more than one negative in a clause. In some languages, double negatives cancel one another and produce an affirmative; in other languages, doubled negatives intensify the negation. Languages where multiple negatives affirm each other are said to have negative concord or emphatic negation [2]
Double negation is very vital to be studied in languages comparatively in order to avoid pragmatic failure in cross-cultural communication among the various nations.
For comparative study of double negation's theory and functions three different languages have been chosen for this research such as English, Russian and Japanese. As these three languages are included in the list of "Eight most used languages in the world", this article can be reached to the linguists of many parts of the world.
In history in English language it double or multiple negation were used. For instance, The Old English poem Beowulf uses multiple negation. Chaucer uses multiple negation (https://clck.ru/W8KjT). Double negation can be observed in Shakespeare's time.
Years passed and Standard English started moving toward single negation. However applying double negation still can be seen in modern English as following:
Single negative: "I don't get tired" — information that one is not tired;
"I don't never get tired" expresses the meaning "tiredness is not my thing."
True: Double negative = bigger negative: Two negatives do not cancel each other out.
Untrue: Double negative =not negative (neutral, but not positive): Two negatives are put directly in opposition to each other: I am not unhappy. "not" and "un-" are oppositional.
There are two types of double negation in English as Yekaterina Ivanova states (https://lim-english.com/):
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In math if you multiply two negatives you get a positive." This is true and untrue.
1. Minus and minus are not equal to plus
This type includes those cases where such a technique is used to reinforce negation, so two negative units are used in one sentence to enhance the negation effect as a double approval.
For example: He doesn't help me never!
Studying English grammar, you will not find such examples and constructions contradict all the rules of the English sentence structure. This type is not a norm and indicates a low level of knowledge of the language or education. Therefore, we need to know about this point so that, it is not surprise if we meet it in the literature, but we should not use it.
2. Minus and minus are equal to plus
This type includes cases where two negative words are combined to form an affirmation. As Russians say "I can't disagree". (Не могу не согласиться). Based on the rule, this method does not go beyond the "correct" grammar and its use is allowed.
Nothing is impossible
It is necessary to follow the constructions so as not to confuse or mislead the interlocutors. If your affirmation means negative, then the double negatives will mean the positive. What is the purpose of using double negation in English?
Despite the fact that in some cases double negation is allowed in English sentences, we should not regard them as the norm. If we meet such constructions, they can signal the following:
-Rhetorical amplification described above
-Low culture of speech and imperfect education
-A special technique in the literature to show the lack of education of the character
-Certain dialects of the language (such as British Cockney or African American English)
There is double negation in English as stated above, but at the initial stages it is better to stick to the classic constructions [9].
Russian language is also specific on the topic "Double negatives". Here we start with examples we have observed in alive conversations of Russian people.
nobody does not
Никто н е знает, куда он пошел [Nikto ne znaet, kuda on pashol] Nobody knows where he has gone.
Она
never not
никогда не была в Японии. [Ana nikagda ni byla v Yaponii] She has never been to
Japan.
Negation+Negation = Negation As we observed, one of the negations is the pronoun "Никто" ("Nobody") in the examples. It is always followed by a certain verb with the particle "не" ("not"), which also shows negation, this is the rule of the Russian language.
Никто поехал в лес [Nikto paekhal v les] Nobody went to the forest — is wrong and mistake. If people say or write such sentences, it may not be understood or understood incorrectly. The correct option for double negation is:
Бюллетень науки и практики / Bulletin of Science and Practice https://www.bulletennauki.com
Т. 7. №7. 2021 https://doi.org/10.33619/2414-2948/68
Никто не поехал в лес [Nikto ni paekhal v les] Nobody went to the forest. This sentence is built from the pronoun "nobody" and the particle "not" before the verb. A negative pronoun is declined according to the following principle: Subjective case: никто [nikto] nobody Genitive case: никого [nikavo] Dative case: никому [nikamu] Accusative case: никого [nikavo] Instrumental case: никем [nikem] Prepositional case: ни о ком [niakom]
The pronoun "nobody" denotes a negation for animated objects in Russian if we want to say about inanimated objects, then you must use "nothing":
Ничего не происходит просто так [Nichivo ni praiskhodit prosta tak] Nothing happens by accident.
We consider the following scheme to declite the pronoun "ничто" ("nothing"):
Remember that in the nominative case, this pronoun has the form "ничто" ("nothing")
Subjective case: ничто
Genitive case: ничего
Dative case: ничему
Accusative case: ничего или ничто
Instrumental case: ничем
Prepositional case: ни о чем
These negative pronouns can be often separated by a preposition, so they are written separately, for example:
Я ни о чем не хочу говорить [Ya ni a chyom ni khachu gavarit'] I don't want to talk about anything (Lit: I don't want to talk about nothing).
Here the sentence controversies the Russian double negation theory:
Ни у кого нет ручки? [Ni u kavo net ruchki?] Does anybody have a pen? (Lit: Doesn't nobody have a pen) Meaning of the sentence/question is not negative. (Asking for something)
Consequently, Russian language refers to Negation-Negation = Negation [theory and sometimes negation + negation = not negation can be seen in Russian in the case of asking for something.
Japanese language employs litotes to phrase ideas in a more indirect and polite manner. Thus, one can indicate necessity by emphasizing that not doing something wouldn't be proper. For instance, (shinakya naranai, "must") literally means "not doing [it] wouldn't be
proper". (shinakya ikenai, also "must") similarly means "not doing [it] can't go
forward" (https://clck.ru/W8KvL).
"The two negatives, however, do not exactly cancel one another in such a way that the result [of not uncommon, not infrequent, not without some fear] is identical with the simple common, frequent, with some doubt; the longer expression is always weaker: "this is not unknown to me" or "I am not ignorant of this" means 'I am to some extent aware of it', etc. The psychological reason for this is that the detour through the two mutually destructive negatives weakens the mental energy of the listener and implies ... a hesitation which is absent from the blunt, outspoken common or known" [10].
In this paragraph dedicated to Japanese double negations, following negative structures will be discussed:
1. йИС^^И
2.
3.
4. &
5. &
Бюллетень науки и практики / Bulletin of Science and Practice Т. 7. №7. 2021
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You're no longer a kid!
These denials come one after another. When hearing this double negatives in Japanese, it is easy to feel the speaker's indignation and irritation, and the meaning is often far from positive.
("I don't understand how a woman can leave the house without fixing herself up a little - if only out of politeness.) And then, you never know, maybe that's the day she has a date with destiny. And it's best to be as pretty as possible for destiny".
Form of contains negation. But its meaning is positive: "perhaps, probably" It
sounds that if we add £ -fc fe it might be a negation, like "maybe not." However, this rule does not work. £ -fc fe together with hypotheses & L fo fe ^ works even more on the context of the hypothesis, and does not add any negations. The connotation "What if it happens that ..." is included in
— ^^^¿^S^f^lC^l - He can't do that
fo It ^ fe ^ close to l ^ ^ fe ^ - "It can't be that." £ fe iMhe question in response to the interlocutor U L (isn't it ?!). in fact, in textbooks (on listening), to decipher the
meaning of the statement, it is written as: fo It ^ fe ^ £ -fc fe ^ = fe U ^ fe ^ - A very categorical judgment with negation.
nothing I can't do skiing, but I haven't done it for years
— - "it does not mean that it is impossible"
Form takes on a connotation when the speaker claims that the actions of the interlocutor are difficult, but not impossible. Also used to mean "not that at all" (http://www.nippon-gatari.info/dvoynoe-otritsanie-v-yaponskom)
There a lot of forms of double negation in Japanese that each must be researched in detail and lacking deep research. In further researches our purpose is to analyze and resolve some undiscovered or not widely investigated points in Japanese.
Conclusion
In conclusion, double negatives are expressed and understood differently in various languages. Studying them comparatively will help the learners to avoid pragmatic failures and realize the difference as well as nuances by contrasting target language to native language. However, topic of double negatives have been researched a lot in European languages, eastern and Asian languages are still lacking and requiring more multipronged explores.
References:
1. Van der Wouden, T. (2002). Negative contexts: Collocation, polarity and multiple negation. Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780203437636
2. Bakharev, A. I. (1980). Otritsanie v logike i grammatike. Saratov. (in Russian).
3. Horn, L. R. (1989). A natural history of negation. Chicago and London, The University of Chicago Press, 637.
4. Jespersen, O. (1917). Negation in English and other languages. K0benhavn, A. F. H0st.
5. Dahl, O. (1979). Typology of Sentence Negation. Linguistics, 17(1-2), 79-106. https://doi.org/ 10.1515/ling.1979.17.1-2.79
6. Miestamo, M. (2007). Negation - An Overview of Typological Research. Language and Linguistics Compass, 1(5), 552-570. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1749-818X.2007.00026.x
7. Klima, E. (1964). Negation in English. The structure of language. Prentice-Hall, Englewood Cliffs, 246-323.
Бюллетень науки и практики / Bulletin of Science and Practice Т. 7. №7. 2021
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8. Kalinina, A. A. (2011). Kategoriya utverzhdeniya/otritsaniya v funktsional'nykh tipakh predlozhenii v sovremennom russkom yazyke: authoref. Dr. diss. Moscow. (in Russian).
9. Mustaioki, A. (2006). Teoriya funktsional'nogo sintaksisa: ot semanticheskikh struktur k yazykovym sredstvam. Moscow. (in Russian).
10. Jespersen, O. (1924). The Philosophy of Grammar. Routledge.
Список литературы:
1. Van der Wouden T. Negative contexts: Collocation, polarity and multiple negation. Routledge, 2002. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780203437636
2. Бахарев А. И. Отрицание в логике и грамматике. Саратов, 1980.
3. Horn L. R. A natural history of negation. Chicago and London: The University of Chicago Press, 1989. 637 p.
4. Jespersen O. Negation in English and other languages. K0benhavn: A. F. H0st, 1917.
5. Dahl, O. Typology of Sentence Negation // Linguistics. 1979. V. 17. №1-2. P. 79-106. https://doi.org/ 10.1515/ling.1979.17.1 -2.79
6. Miestamo M. Negation - An Overview of Typological Research // Language and Linguistics Compass. 2007. V. 1. №5. P. 552-570. https://doi.org/10.1111/j .1749-818X.2007.00026.x
7. Klima E. Negation in English // The structure of language. Prentice-Hall: Englewood Cliffs, 1964. P. 246-323.
8. Калинина А. А. Категория утверждения/отрицания в функциональных типах предложений в современном русском языке: автореф. дисс. ... д-ра филол. наук. М., 2011. 36 с.
9. Мустайоки А. Теория функционального синтаксиса: от семантических структур к языковым средствам. М.: Языки славянской культуры, 2006. 509 с.
10. Jespersen O. The Philosophy of Grammar. Routledge, 1924.
Работа поступила Принята к публикации
в редакцию 02.06.2021 г. 08.06.2021 г.
Ссылка для цитирования:
Tursunova N. Scope of Negation: Theory and Double Negatives // Бюллетень науки и практики. 2021. Т. 7. №7. С. 419-424. https://doi.org/10.33619/2414-2948/68/59
Cite as (APA):
Tursunova, N. (2021). Scope of Negation: Theory and Double Negatives. Bulletin of Science and Practice, 7(7), 419-424. https://doi.org/10.33619/2414-2948/68/59
