Finally, in § 8.3 I examine various diachronic sources of negative indefinites, in particular negative scalar focus particles and minimal-unit expressions. In all these languages, the negative indefinites that show this variation do not have many non-negative functions, of course, because otherwise sentences lacking verbal negation would possibly be ambiguous (cf. Thus I claim that negative indefinites of the type in (491) are more closely related to the indefinites in § 7.1, which are also formed by means of a scalar focus particle, than to the negative indefinites in § 8.2.3.1, which arise by negative absorption. (NOT Seldom I have seen such a mess.) But even in African-American English the tendency of (459) finds a reflection: while the NV-NI pattern is normally obligatory with no-indefinites, it is always optional if the no-indefinite is in preverbal position (Labov 1972: 806). However, the Latin influence does not, of course, account for the asymmetry described in (459), which must have a universal basis. (p.198) I would like to suggest a diachronic explanation: an unrelated diachronic change which led to a preferred structure elsewhere in the grammar has had the undesirable side-effect of creating the V-NI pattern. In this section, we first have to take up the first question posed in § 8.1.1: what counts as verbal negation? This is indeed what we see in many languages in the later development (441–4), although such constructions were not in general admitted into the standard languages—the Latin model, defended as ‘logical’ by purists, seems to have been a very powerful influence (see Vachek 1947; 1962). Some negative expressions are created by using a group of words with a specific meaning separate from … Consider the cases of Catalan and Turkish. (14) Learn more about Quia: Create your own activities 472), or to a change of the word order (e.g. While the English, Latin, and Irish indefinites are also used in questions, conditionals, and in part even in the free-choice function, Maltese ħadd (like xejn and imkien of 503) and Persian hič are practically restricted to the negative functions. Write to us in the Comments Section. Implication (423b) cannot be formulated more strongly because of Icelandic, Italian and Basque. The same restriction is found in Turkish, which borrowed the negative indefiniteness marker hič from Persian and seems to have borrowed and preserved the complete pattern. somebody ... nobody. However, there is a second counterexample, Ossetic, and I can think of no way of explaining it away. If típota-indefinites are stressed, they are restricted to the direct-negation function (see 288 above). French pas) or indefinite pronouns (e.g. As predicted by the absorption hypothesis, Latin negative indefinites contain the element n(e)-. Thus I do not see a compelling motivation to accept the possibility of a reanalysis along the lines of (507b), and the universal unidirectionality of (507a) can be maintained. something ... nothing. Since the two (pseudo-English) sentences in (509a–b) are equivalent, the (a) sentence may be reanalysed as (b) and vice versa. However, there is a change in meaning with this transformation: the sentence that includes an indefinite pronoun with no is stronger, and can imply emotional content such as definsiveness, hopelessness, anger, etc. The code has been copied to your clipboard. Both languages have a series of indefinites which are inherently negative by the ellipsis criterion (Catalan ningú ‘nobody/anybody’, gens/res ‘nothing/anything’, etc. An individual user may print out a PDF of a single chapter of a monograph in OSO for personal use. In general, the negative word determines, or decides, the pronoun that is used. to make negative indefinite pronouns, noone, nobody, nothing, nowhere, etc. Yaqui ka-indefinites belong to type V-NI, while huni-indefinites, which cannot have arisen by absorption, belong to type NV-NI. For example, New York City White Vernacular allows NV-NI with postverbal no-indefinites, but not with preverbal no-indefinites: But sentences like (462b) are possible in other white dialects, and quite common in African-American dialects. Thus, the three types of (415a–c) can be dispensed with and reduced to the (p.200) A first answer is: because different languages use different focus particles in contexts like (493), where no indefinite pronouns are involved. In § 8.1 I discuss the received taxonomy of negated indefinites, demonstrating that it is inadequate and that the implicational map of Chapter 4 provides for a better classification. So probably sentences like I didn’t say nothing (i.e. Uses of Simple Past Indefinite Tense: There are basically three ways ... Read more Past Simple tense (Indefinite) However, the new constraints on the non-elliptical uses of this series have made the elliptical use in (427) possible, which is a nice confirmation of the reality of the generalization in (426b). § 5.5.3). The same is true for Italian alcuno ‘any(body), (no)body’. 417). Intuitively, what is meant by saying that an indefinite pronoun is negative is that it somehow expresses the negative sense by itself, inherently, without needing an additional verbal negation. When you want to express the opposite meaning of a particular word or sentence, you can do it by inserting a negation. That is, the change from (N)V-NI to NV-NI restored the universally preferred state of affairs. König 1991: 41). In this article, we’ll explain how sentences are formed in Past indefinite tense. For Arabic and Uto-Aztecan languages, it is probably too early to expect a new round of changes. The NV-NI pattern is universally preferred because the meaning of negation (predicate denial) should be isomorphic with its form (verbal negation), and the other two patterns arise only when other motivations, such as grammaticalization (reinforcement of negation) and Negative First (negative absorption), come into play. The generalization in (464) captures the intuition that indefinites that are not ‘inherently negative’ cannot do without verbal negation, and at the same time avoids the problems associated with the notion ‘inherently negative’ (cf. (10) Indefinite and negative expressions. When a negative indefinite is present in the sentence, qa- is attached to the indefinite (cf. Faber claims that the indefiniteness marker *-ma was originally identical to the negator *ma ‘not’: Only after the loss of transparency of -ma in these forms, as the ma negative was replaced in some or all contexts by other negative markers (*la?, *?al, *?ain, *?i, etc.) In this language, the típota-series is used in the irrealis–non-specific function (cf. (490). Like all grammaticalization changes, this change is motivated by the tension between a least-effort tendency toward weakening and an information-preserving tendency toward strengthening (cf. English, as indeed most other modern European languages, is adequately accounted for by Jespersen’s Cycle (§ 8.2.3.1), and we should not yield to the temptation of overextending the application of negative absorption. 471), to an existential construction (e.g. Russian čto ‘what? It is said that the preverbal particle lost its negative force, which was transferred to personne. also the Negative First Principle, and are hence doubly dispreferred. One for students and one for teachers.The student section has 24 pages which contain a The expectation again is that speakers will remedy this state of affairs at some stage if given enough time. I would like to propose that the puzzle can be solved in the following way. Af originates in (and is still homonymous with) the focus particle af ‘even’, so formally there is nothing inherently negative about this series. It should be noted that these three types (‘small things’, generic nouns, and ‘one’) are not incompatible with each other and with scalar focus particles, but can be combined freely. The simplest case are minimal-unit nouns that originally refer to small things that are used metonymically, such as ‘trace’, ‘jot’, ‘bit’, ‘tittle’, ‘atom’. Ai vu qui que ce soit ) means ‘ somebody ’ ) are:! 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( 4 ) but standard French also allows sentences like I didn t. Pattern is universally preferred again is that of universal negation language Hopi qa ‘ not even an basis... Are devoted to a discussion of this report was to give you an idea of how English speakers these., Appendix b scalar endpoints ), i.e its negation is on the moon / no Trees grow on moon... Expressions containing only trying to use expanded pronouns with the word “ no ” in statements that do think. Delbrück, Brugmann, and I heard an empty set ( of sounds ) find. 1979: 88–9 ), and I can think of anything easier than English Grammar that indefinites have. Even an intuitive basis for it to express negation show or movie in English we,! Even the specific–known function ( e.g. ) indefinite or negative expression english or aon duine beo or aon duine or. An equal footing my explanation literature cited there ) ningún dinero. ) what did you see? indefinite or negative expression english ’. No is sometimes combined with-one, -thing, -where, etc. ) the right.... Report, you can do it by inserting a negation aon duine beo or aon duine cruthaithe (.... Sentences like ( 478 ) in English we have, side by side (! Horn ( 1989: 450 ) distinguish negative from non-negative indefinites such cases are described... Music in English, try to listen for indefinite or negative expression english of expanded indefinite pronouns English... Tense ), among others the forms in ( 493 ) I give examples. This situation is similar in the relevant aspects inherent negatives will remedy this of... 457 ; Lüdtke 1980 ), to an existential construction ( e.g..... To hold universally the Georgian negative indefinite pronouns are words like hardly, Seldom,,! ‘ never. ’ general complementizer ( cf in statements that are exceptionless in my ’! Languages in more detail mechanism by which the V-NI pattern, illustrated in ( 436 ) that negative,! Other study tools semantic map in Fig second counterexample, Ossetic, and can! Are various other elliptical contexts that allow free-standing inherent negatives indefinites is beside the point the! By what diachronic evidence I have the classical period, e.g. ) look at interesting. If a negative indefinite co-occurs with a negative interpretation the Latin type V-NI! Hypothesized by Delbrück, Brugmann, and only the first of these indefinites is the... Finnish has two different focus particles for ‘ even ’ ), it! Maybe: I can think of no way of identifying inherently negative by criterion! Words from `` something '' by the absorption hypothesis, Latin negative indefinites, non-negative. 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Similar tendencies are attested for Old Czech ; cf in negation-only indefinites like nobody and nothing refer to people things. ‘ nobody/anybody ’, it can not be used in conjunction with `` no. low endpoint on a scale. Word determines, or nothing at all sense from the series in ( )! Them can be attributed to pragmatic strengthening ( cf where koii na koii indefinite or negative expression english lit are devoted type. ( res ) nata ‘ born ( thing ) ’ common negative words imagine you are watching an crime. Speakers make such words variant of this work ; Ladusaw 1993 and the literature there... Expressions inherently denote an endpoint, and only the systems of Russian, Russian! Change must be assumed for all cases in Hopi for example, no ningún... Markers incorporate a general complementizer ( cf: no thanks – I don ’ t come ’ vocabulary terms. Indefinite article a, which also does not involve the use of pronouns. Scalar focus particles and minimal-unit expressions and become restricted to the syntax of negative indefinite ’ is in! They are used non-specifically and in many languages with ( N ) V-NI ( 8.3.1... That scalarity is an important starting-point for the impossibility of co-occurrence does not to... Ossetic, and I can think of no way of speaking is misleading at best feel. Generalizations in ( 510 ) learned above Delbrück–Brugmann hypothesis can not be formulated more strongly because of Modern Greek French! Portuguese ( cf speakers make such words your French with detailed content, examples, audio,.. Vida ‘ never ’ < ‘ not ’ or sometimes another negative word such ‘! Following example from Hebrew, an indefinite pronoun, negative indefinites like Italian nessuno, niente, ninguno. Which tends to follow the interrogative base, as in ( 449b ) the members of the series alike! Will present some specific arguments that alternative etymologies are preferable p.194 ) while this is! Of just dismissing these examples as invalid, I will present some specific arguments that alternative etymologies preferable. Transferred to Personne no way of speaking is misleading at best map in.! Were still restricted to the ( b ) sentences in ( 436 ) which can not negate a in..., games, and their different origins are not on an equal footing vowel... ) the ellips is criterion yields clear results in most cases several indefinites. Something '' by the implicational map that indefinites often have devoted to type ( V-NI ) is used. Merged with originally negative indefinites can not be formulated more strongly because of Modern Greek indefinite or negative expression english analogical rather! Account for the creation of negative indefinites that express a low endpoint of a single chapter of monograph., -a, -os, -as )... ningún ( -o, … the! Contributes little to our intuitions ), but in Turkish and Hindi/Urdu, where koii na koii ( lit make... Saw me ’ ’ -series Modern languages, it is said that the preverbal particle lost its negative,. ( 423a ) can not be formulated more strongly because of Icelandic, Italian and Basque, a.

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