On Wed, Jul 31, 2013 at 06:31:36PM +0000, Grant Edwards wrote: > > In standard, formal English, that's correct. > > However, in some English dialects, a double-negatve does not equate to > a positive. A double negative is simply a stronger negative. For > example, "don't do nothing" is a stronger, more emphatic version of > "don't do anything". Languages like that have "negative concord". > Old and Middle English were that way, and some modern dialects of > English are that way.
This is incorrect -- "don't do nothing", do not _do_nothing_ means "do _something_", and "don't do anything" means just what it says, "Do not do _anything_". -- Happy Penguin Computers >') 126 Fenco Drive ( \ Tupelo, MS 38801 ^^ supp...@happypenguincomputers.com 662-269-2706 662-205-6424 http://happypenguincomputers.com/ A: Because it messes up the order in which people normally read text. Q: Why is top-posting such a bad thing? A: Top-posting. Q: What is the most annoying thing in e-mail? Don't top-post: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Top_post#Top-posting
