Mesut Deniz

Double Negative
Sir John Falstaff is no doubt one of Shakespeares most popular characters.
McWhorter refers to Falstaff Shakespeares Henry IV in order to demonstrate the use
of double negatives in English grammar in the past. Such as there is never none of
these demure boys come to any proof.(228)
McWhorter sites Falstaffs line in order to drive home the point that language is mutable,
and that convention in high language can shift. Acceptable language is a fluid
concept, and the weight of propriety of the uses of grammar changes according to this
years fashions (p. 228).
His character is part of McWhorter's Power of Babel because it demonstrates the
transformation of language. Spoken language is much more ever-changing than written
language, and is always in the process of becoming a new language. McWhorter states
that one must learn to keep [themselves] from sounding like an android (225).
What I have learned is to be more aware of how languages blend. Language
may have begun in neat little packages, but especially as our world becomes more
global, languages morph and blend into the tantalizing soup of languages and
dialects. If you say, "He was never not happy to do his homework" is it the same as
saying "He was happy to do his homework? No, it is not. The first expression is
powerful and shows deeper emotion. Mixed feelings are complicated, and sometimes
best stated in double negatives. My point is that double negatives do not necessarily
negate each other, but allow for emotional complexity to be accepted, and respectfully.
The written form of English is sort of frozen in time, and does not change as
quickly as spoken English. Based on the fact that languages are both written and
spoken, and that the correct forms of a language are mostly arbitrary, I dont feel that
the use of double negatives can be logically seen as incorrect. The spoken form of a
language simply changes differently and more quickly, and the correct written form is
usually simply an opinion asserted by a dominant group of people. I think double
negatives are not appropriate in written form, but can be tolerated when in verbal
communication.
I enjoyed reading the real-life examples he used to illustrate the changes and
complexities of language. This allowed me to understand exactly how complex and
challenging it can be to learn a new language. Just as McWhorter indicates in his book,
I think language will always morph as we constantly change words and phrases to fit a
more modern time. We, as teachers, need to be sure to listen to and understand
language, slang or other variations to help students understand the culture they are
from or the one they are assimilating into.
From this point of view, It is not big deal weather double negatives acceptable or
not. It is just a matter of how widely double negatives are being used among people. It
might eventually a part of written language.