Tags
Age of Reason, Chaucer, Double negative, Double Negatives, English Language, Geoffrey Chaucer, History of English, Humour, Language, Linguistics, Lowth, Robert Lowth
Although I don’t usually talk about medieval times, Monday’s posts are called Medieval Mondays, because I like alliteration. In these posts, I look at the history of the English language.
Ther nas no man no wher so vertuous
(“There never was no man nowhere so virtuous”)
He nevere yet no vileynye ne sayde / In all his lyf unto no maner wight
(“He never yet no vileness didn’t say / In all his life to no manner of man”)
Chaucer is heralded as being one of the great historical writers – in fact, he’s one of the only still read today.
So how does he write using double negative and escape the wrath of people such as myself?
Well, it’s all down to this handsome man:
Bishop Robert Lowth with all his rugged good looks
Robert Lowth.
In the eighteenth century, or The Age of Reason (capitalisation necessary), English-speaking people were far too self-conscious about the way they were perceived; much of which was based on the way they spoke, due to a number of factors, including the rising numbers of Middle classes. Middle classes wanted to seem Upper class, and Working classes wanted to seem Middle Class. They all wanted to speak proper properly.
Robert Lowth came along. He was multilingual, a professor of poetry and Oxford, and a bishop. His Short Introduction to English Grammar, published in 1761, was so popular that 22 editions were published.
Lowth and other grammarians wanted to codify the English language. Taking advantage of the linguistically conscious Middle classes who cared enough to buy their books, they created/invented/made up new rules, on a whim.
According to Lowth, using a preposition at the end of a sentence was now wrong.
Splitting an infinitive? Now wrong.
And, of course, our favourite double negative. Double negatives, in Chaucer’s time, were used for emphasis, but Lowth decided that they made a negative – basing this rule on maths and science. Of course, it makes sense; “I didn’t not do it” means “I did it”, if you work it out. However, it didn’t always. It used to mean “I really didn’t do it”.
Of course, this doesn’t give you an excuse to go throwing your double negatives around. It’s been several hundred years, and our language has become used to the fact that a double negatives make a positive. What I mean is, you’ll just sound stupid.
Anglophonism 
Where did you find this stuff??
It was part of my university course. The more interesting half of what I learn makes up a large proportion of my blog!
Thanks for the double negative thoughts.
You’re right.
The French—whenever they want to negate some verb—put a ne pas around it. So, if I say, “I don’t speak French,” as “Je ne parle pas français.” Of course, their double negative means negative.
In English, it’s unequivocal. Double negatives mean positive, and in the hands of an incompetent speaker they mean nothing. As for splitting infinitives and ending with prepositions, you’re right again. Those rules stink.
Oops, ignore the ‘if’ in my earlier comment or feel free to edit it and then delete this one.
Same goes with Polish language. When you use two negatives it still gives a negative meaning. “Nie ma nic” means “There’s nothing” But the direct translation of the statement into English is “There isn’t nothing”. My mother tounge Turkish results the same. However, I found learning English absolutely easy when I was 10.
NOTE: Linguistics was the branch I always wanted to study in my younger days. This has remained the only “wish” and “regret” of my life. Your blog makes me feel like I study linguistics at last! Thank you very much…
My favorite (yes, I spell Yankee-ishly), prepositions-ending-sentences is attributed to the humorist, Mark Twain, who said something like, “A preposition is something you should never end a sentence with.”
This comment, I am very thankful for.
(As for split infinitives, I don’t like it, but I can see the point that in certain other languages an infinitive is one word: I can get away with “to rapidly eat” but no one in the Spanish-speaking world would understand “com- rapidamente -er,” ne pas?)
[NOTE: I can’t figure out how to italicize in a reply. What’s the trick?]
I don’t ever not use double negatives. Wait, what?
Actually, I loathe them since they completely turn my head around. “I don’t ever go.” No problem. “I don’t ever not go.” ARGH!
This was the one thing I dreaded on the SAT (US college entrance exam). I used all kinds of tricks like actually making + and – signs next to words, crossing others out. A total nightmare. I give all older texts a pass, but believe that any modern writing should be clear to contemporary readers.