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Somewhat related to How can double negatives "has a respectable history as a rhetorical device for emphasis" when they're harder to understand? I am noticing that that there is an increase in use of double negatives in speech.

"I didn't say nothing" or "I don't want nothing" is very common. One friend of mine who keeps doing this has the mickey taken out of him by returning with Oh, so you did say something then".

I hear it a lot in pop and R'n'B songs. Take for example, If I ain't got you by Alicia Keys.

The chorus has "But I don't want nothin' at all" in it, and the outro has "Said nothin' in this whole wide world don't mean a thing".

So, with my friend's predicament in mind, is there a right and wrong way to use double negatives?

Chris Rogers
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    This is a large topic, and has been extensively studied. But it's impossible to give a simple answer without restricting it to a particular type of double negative in a particular dialect. Double negatives are found in many forms of English, including a lot of American dialects, and you'll find a lot of material online. The Wikipedia article is probably a good starting point: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Double_negative – Stuart F May 05 '21 at 09:28
  • The kind of double negative that has a 'respectable history' is something like not impossible - see that related question. – Kate Bunting May 05 '21 at 09:46
  • @KateBunting I've seen that question and agree that they are OK as they don't follow the same pattern as the examples in my question. Those double negatives have both negatives next to each other. – Chris Rogers May 05 '21 at 09:59
  • @MichaelHarvey sorted – Chris Rogers May 05 '21 at 11:59
  • There are all kinds of ways of using negation, and some of them can cancel and some of them don't, though "a right and wrong way to use" them doesn't quite cover the territory. Perhaps you might enjoy learning more about negatives before you count and judge them. – John Lawler May 05 '21 at 21:45

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