undefined | Better HN

0 pointsicebraining13y ago0 comments

No, but it's disingenuous to claim people who consider the speaker to be ignorant are only taking into account the double-negation, when the phrase contains a combination of multiple factors, such as language and content.

0 comments

3 comments · 1 top-level

Cushman13y ago· 2 in thread

That is very much the point, I think. You can't judge the speech negatively on its merits, since emphatic negation is a regular feature of many languages. You can judge the speech negatively on the basis of who you think the person is, in this case "black".

There are some obvious issues with confusing these things.

icebrainingOP13y ago

You can't judge the speech negatively on its merits, since emphatic negation is a regular feature of many languages.

But the speech isn't in "many languages", it's in a particular language where the double-negation is considered incorrect, therefore there's no need to make assumptions about race or background to consider the speaker ignorant.

Cushman13y ago

Emphatic double negation is not considered incorrect in African American English or other English dialects where it appears. It is used regularly and correctly, which is no surprise since it is a feature of many languages. The reason it is called incorrect is because these are historically the dialects of impoverished and oppressed groups. This is, again, the point and the problem.

The speech is correct.

1 more reply

j / k navigate · click thread line to collapse