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> Just because a lot of people use it does not make it grammatically accurate. Actually, that's exactly what it does... over time. Where exactly do you think o

> Just because a lot of people use it does not make it grammatically accurate. Actually, that's exactly what it does... over time. Where exactly do you think our language, as it exists today, came from?

ds_ 13y ago
An interesting read on the subject: http://www.amazon.com/The-Unfolding-Language-Evolutionary-Invention/dp/0805080120 http://www.amazon.com/The-Unfolding-Language-Evolutionary-In...
swalkergibson 13y ago
Of course language evolves, but a double-negative is a double-negative, no matter how you slice it. Do you have another example of a single word that is a double-negative?
- nekopa 13y ago
  Unless?
  - bicknergseng 13y ago
    Oh snap.
- testing12341234 13y ago
  And yet one of the father's of written modern English, Chaucer himself often used double negatives [0]. ex: "Ther nas no man no wher so vertuous" ("There never was no man nowhere so virtuous") "He nevere yet no vileynye ne sayde / In all his lyf unto no maner wight" ("He never yet no vileness didn't say / In all his life to no manner of man"). The modern English language (written and spoken) has been in constant flux for the last 600+ years. What was once required is now antiquated, and what was once verboten is now required. At this moment in time, double negatives are frowned upon. However, that may change in the future, and it's possible that irregardless is the start of a new set of changes in the language. [0] - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Double_negative http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Double_negative
  - dragonwriter 13y ago
    > And yet one of the father's of written modern English, Chaucer himself often used double negatives [0]. It's worth noting that neither of your examples has a double negative. Triple negative (the second possibly quadruple), sure, but not double. > At this moment in time, double negatives are frowned upon. I don't know that there's really a shift in time with the double negative, its a stylistic rule, and, much like the Pirate Code, stylistic rules in English are more what you'd call guidelines than actual rules. Or, looked at another way, more like training wheels.
    - testing12341234 13y ago
      Guidelines indeed. For reference, here is an example of a double negative from the Prologue to the Canterbury Tales: Nowher so bisy a man as he ther nas [0] (Nowhere so busy a man as he there none) [0] http://www.bartleby.com/40/0102.html http://www.bartleby.com/40/0102.html line 321
3minus1 13y ago
@swalkergibson flammable and inflammable both mean the same thing.
- swalkergibson 13y ago
  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flammability#Flammable_vs._inflammable http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flammability#Flammable_vs._infl...
krsunny 13y ago
Welcome to Hacker News, home of the worlds largest contrarian user base.

ds_ 13y ago

An interesting read on the subject: http://www.amazon.com/The-Unfolding-Language-Evolutionary-Invention/dp/0805080120 http://www.amazon.com/The-Unfolding-Language-Evolutionary-In...

swalkergibson 13y ago

Of course language evolves, but a double-negative is a double-negative, no matter how you slice it. Do you have another example of a single word that is a double-negative?

nekopa 13y ago
Unless?
- bicknergseng 13y ago
  Oh snap.
testing12341234 13y ago
And yet one of the father's of written modern English, Chaucer himself often used double negatives [0]. ex: "Ther nas no man no wher so vertuous" ("There never was no man nowhere so virtuous") "He nevere yet no vileynye ne sayde / In all his lyf unto no maner wight" ("He never yet no vileness didn't say / In all his life to no manner of man"). The modern English language (written and spoken) has been in constant flux for the last 600+ years. What was once required is now antiquated, and what was once verboten is now required. At this moment in time, double negatives are frowned upon. However, that may change in the future, and it's possible that irregardless is the start of a new set of changes in the language. [0] - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Double_negative http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Double_negative
- dragonwriter 13y ago
  > And yet one of the father's of written modern English, Chaucer himself often used double negatives [0]. It's worth noting that neither of your examples has a double negative. Triple negative (the second possibly quadruple), sure, but not double. > At this moment in time, double negatives are frowned upon. I don't know that there's really a shift in time with the double negative, its a stylistic rule, and, much like the Pirate Code, stylistic rules in English are more what you'd call guidelines than actual rules. Or, looked at another way, more like training wheels.
  - testing12341234 13y ago
    Guidelines indeed. For reference, here is an example of a double negative from the Prologue to the Canterbury Tales: Nowher so bisy a man as he ther nas [0] (Nowhere so busy a man as he there none) [0] http://www.bartleby.com/40/0102.html http://www.bartleby.com/40/0102.html line 321

3minus1 13y ago

@swalkergibson flammable and inflammable both mean the same thing.

swalkergibson 13y ago
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flammability#Flammable_vs._inflammable http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flammability#Flammable_vs._infl...

krsunny 13y ago

Welcome to Hacker News, home of the worlds largest contrarian user base.