Negative attraction

The preferred position for the negator not is after the first word of the auxiliary or after a copula, in a main clause. Under various circumstances, a negator that should properly be placed elsewhere is attracted into this position.

Firstly, note that what is here called sentential negation can apply either to a main clause, as in (79), or to a complement clause, as in (80).

(79) I didn’t say [that he lied] (I said nothing)

(80) I said [that he didn’t lie] (I said that he told the truth)

Here the difference in meaning is significant, and the negator n’t is likely to be maintained in its proper place. But consider:

(81) I don’t think [that he came] (I don’t know what he did)

(82) I think [that he didn’t come] (I think that he stayed away)

The sentiment expressed in (81) is not likely to be often expressed, whereas that in (82) is much used. As Jespersen (1909–49, pt.V: 444) mentions, people often say I don’t think that he came when they actually mean (82), that he stayed away. This can be accounted for by attraction of n’t from the complement clause into the preferred position, after the first word of the auxiliary in the main clause. As another example, Jespersen (1940–49, pt.V: 440) points out that a sentence such as We aren’t here to talk nonsense but to act is used when We are here [not to talk nonsense but to act] is intended; the not has once more been attracted into the preferred position.

One reads in prescriptive works that two negatives in a clause should generally be interpreted as indicating a positive; that is, for example, I couldn’t do nothing about it should be taken to have the same meaning as I could do something about it. However, the people who insist on this rule would scarcely be likely to use a repeated negative of this kind. Other people often do use a double negative of this type, and then intend it to emphasize the negation; I couldn’t do nothing about it means something like I really could do nothing about it. Double (or triple) realization of a single negation most often includes not in the preferred position, as well as modifying a constituent; for example, You’d never heard nothing, and I don’t want nobody to get hurt. This could be described as the negation on a constituent being also copied into the preferred position. (It is, of course, possible to have two independent negations in a clause, as shown in (75).)