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Son of Sam 7:31 Fri Nov 23
Quick question re negatives in language

Got asked last night by a student in the family, what does the following sentence mean , it has three"nots"

It was in connection with an economics essay

you can rely on the models we have used in our class for your reasoning but you should not make technical statements that would not be intelligible to professionals not familiar with the models

Wtf does this mean?

The Human Stain 4:19 Fri Nov 23
Re: Quick question re negatives in language

Seems perfectly intelligable. Just turn left at each "not".

Mind you, this could just be my complex complex complex.

geoffpikey 4:01 Fri Nov 23
Re: Quick question re negatives in language

This guidance isn't a matter of double negatives, though.
It's just bad grammar.

Rio or Anton or Les 3:01 Fri Nov 23
Re: Quick question re negatives in language

Its a bit like University Challenge.

I don`t understand the question let alone know what the answer is.

SurfaceAgentX2Zero 1:50 Fri Nov 23
Re: Quick question re negatives in language

'Man in the street' is too constrictive. How on Earth would you begin describing string theory to the man in the street. Or me, for that matter. I believe 'informed layman' is the industry standard - in other words, an intelligent person with half an idea what you are talking about but no deep knowledge of the subject.

Hammer and Pickle 12:06 Fri Nov 23
Re: Quick question re negatives in language

I ain’t got none neither

Westham67 11:59 Fri Nov 23
Re: Quick question re negatives in language

I don't know nothing about it gph

gph 11:58 Fri Nov 23
Re: Quick question re negatives in language

We're lucky.

"A double negative is a grammatical construction occurring when two forms of 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. Portuguese, Persian, Russian, Spanish, Neapolitan, Italian, Japanese, Bulgarian, Czech, Polish, Afrikaans, Hebrew, and some dialects of English, such as African-American Vernacular English, are examples of negative-concord languages, while Latin and German do not have negative concord. It is cross-linguistically observed that negative-concord languages are more common than those without." [Wiki]

I think Old English was also a negative concord language, so we've had a narrow escape from having to say "Don't tell no-one nothing" instead of "Don't tell anyone anything".

Westham67 11:53 Fri Nov 23
Re: Quick question re negatives in language

An idiots guide basically

Mike Oxsaw 11:50 Fri Nov 23
Re: Quick question re negatives in language

Present your thoughts in a way such that "the man in the street" can understand them.

Robson 11:31 Fri Nov 23
Re: Quick question re negatives in language

Abbreviations like "shouldn't" and "wouldn't" help make it easier to read, though I guess these might not be acceptable in an essay.

Lily Hammer 11:27 Fri Nov 23
Re: Quick question re negatives in language

It means:

"Don't confuse ignorant cunts with over-technical jargon."

Dan M 11:20 Fri Nov 23
Re: Quick question re negatives in language

Buffalo Buffalo buffalo buffalo buffalo Buffalo buffalo.

, 11:11 Fri Nov 23
Re: Quick question re negatives in language

Back in the day my English teacher would have castigated me for writing a sentence that way.

The obvious way is illustrated by serf.

SurfaceAgentX2Zero 10:53 Fri Nov 23
Re: Quick question re negatives in language

It's a perfectly understandable sentence but why not use 'unintelligible' and 'unfamiliar'? Job done and no confusion.

Westham67 8:15 Fri Nov 23
Re: Quick question re negatives in language

Take out terminology for any serious documents. I've rejected design report for using terminology

Like Method statements you have to write it like person reading doesn't know anything which in my game is usual

Hammer and Pickle 8:12 Fri Nov 23
Re: Quick question re negatives in language

Soar above the words carried aloft by the real intention, young man.

Coffee 8:00 Fri Nov 23
Re: Quick question re negatives in language

And what Sven said.

Use what you've learned in class, but avoid the jargon.

Sven Roeder 7:56 Fri Nov 23
Re: Quick question re negatives in language

Use it but ditch the jargon.
Not everyone is a pointyheaded nerd, innit

PLAIN ENGLISH TRANSLATION

Coffee 7:40 Fri Nov 23
Re: Quick question re negatives in language

Lazy thinking. But you can re-word, e.g.:

You can rely on the models we have used in our class for your reasoning, but avoid technical statements that may be unintelligible to professionals unfamiliar with the models.