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Double negative
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==Latin and Romance languages== In Latin a second negative word appearing along with {{lang|la|non}} turns the meaning into a positive one: {{lang|la|ullus}} means "any", {{lang|la|nullus}} means "no", {{lang|la|non...nullus}} ({{lang|la|nonnullus}}) means "some". In the same way, {{lang|la|umquam}} means "ever", {{lang|la|numquam}} means "never", {{lang|la|non...numquam}} ({{lang|la|nonnumquam}}) means "sometimes". In many Romance languages a second term indicating a negative is required. [[French grammar#Negation|In French]], the usual way to express simple negation is to employ two words, e.g. ''{{lang|fr|i=no|ne}} [verb] {{lang|fr|i=no|pas}}'', ''{{lang|fr|i=no|ne}} [verb] {{lang|fr|i=no|plus}}'', or ''{{lang|fr|i=no|ne}} [verb] {{lang|fr|i=no|jamais}}'', as in the sentences <abbr title="I don't know">{{lang|fr|Je ne sais pas}}</abbr>, <abbr title="The battery is dead">{{lang|fr|Il n'y a plus de batterie}}</abbr>, and <abbr title="you never know">{{lang|fr|On ne sait jamais}}</abbr>. The second term was originally an emphatic; {{lang|fr|pas}}, for example, derives from the Latin {{lang|la|passus}}, meaning "step", so that French {{lang|fr|Je ne marche pas}} and Catalan {{lang|ca|No camino pas}} originally meant "I will not walk a single step." This initial usage spread so thoroughly that it became a necessary element of any negation in the modern French language<ref>There are literary cases in which "{{lang|fr|ne}}" can be used without "{{lang|fr|pas}}"; many of these are traditional phrases stemming from a time before the emphatic became an essential part of negation.</ref> to such a degree that {{lang|fr|ne}} is generally dropped entirely, as in <abbr title="I don't know">{{lang|fr|Je sais pas}}</abbr>. In [[Northern Catalan]], {{lang|ca|no}} may be omitted in colloquial language, and [[Occitan language|Occitan]], which uses {{lang|oc|non}} only as a short answer to questions. In [[Venetian language|Venetian]], the double negation {{lang|vec|no ... mìa}} can likewise lose the first particle and rely only on the second: {{lang|vec|magno mìa}} ("I eat not") and {{lang|vec|vegno mìa}} ("I come not"). These exemplify [[Jespersen's cycle]]. {{lang|fr|Jamais}}, {{lang|fr|rien}}, {{lang|fr|personne}} and {{lang|fr|nulle part}} (never, nothing, no one, nowhere) can be mixed with each other, and/or with {{lang|fr|ne...plus}} (not anymore/not again) in French, e.g. to form sentences like {{lang|fr|Je n'ai rien dit à personne}} (I didn't say anything to anyone)<ref>{{cite web|url=https://progress.lawlessfrench.com/my-languages/french/view/633|title=Using double and multiple negatives (negation)|author=Drouard, Aurélie}}</ref> or even {{lang|fr|Il ne dit jamais plus rien à personne}} (He never says anything to anyone anymore). The [[Spanish language|Spanish]], [[Italian language|Italian]], [[Portuguese language|Portuguese]] and [[Romanian language|Romanian]] languages usually employ doubled negative [[correlative]]s. Portuguese {{lang|pt|Não vejo nada}}, Spanish {{lang|es|No veo nada}}, Romanian {{lang|ro|Nu văd nimic}} and Italian {{lang|it|Non vedo niente}}<ref>In Italian a simple negative phrase, {{lang|it|Non vedo alcunché}} ("I don't see anything"), is also possible.</ref> (literally, "I do not see nothing") are used to express "I do not see anything". In Italian, a second following negative particle {{lang|it|non}} turns the phrase into a positive one, but with a slightly different meaning. For instance, while both {{lang|it|Voglio mangiare}} ("I want to eat") and {{lang|it|Non voglio non mangiare}} ("I don't want not to eat") mean "I want to eat", the latter phrase more precisely means "I'd prefer to eat". Other Romance languages employ double negatives less regularly. In [[Asturian language|Asturian]], an extra negative particle is used with negative adverbs: {{lang|ast|Yo nunca nun lu viera}} ("I had not never seen him") means "I have never seen him" and {{lang|ast|A mi tampoco nun me presta}} ("I neither do not like it") means "I do not like it either". [[Catalan language|Standard Catalan]] and [[Galician Language|Galician]] also used to possess a tendency to double ''no'' with other negatives, so {{lang|ca|Jo tampoc no l'he vista}} or {{lang|gl|Eu tampouco non a vira}}, respectively meant "I have not seen her either". This practice is dying out.
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