Syntax- přednášky

Nobody has nothing to eat. = everyone has something to eat

None of us have never told lies. = all of us have told lies

I can’t not obey her. = I have to obey her.

I can’t not obey her, .......................................................... ?

• “Can I?”

The negation normally extends from the negative item itself to the end of the clause.

She definitely didn’t speak to him. – Rozhodně s ním nemluvila.

She didn’t definitely speak to him. – Není jisté, že s ním mluvila.

I wasn’t listening all the time. – Neposlouchala jsem vůbec.

I wasn’t listening all the time. – Občas jsem poslouchala.

I didn’t listen to some of the speakers. – Některé jsem neposlouchala.

I didn’t listen to any of the speakers. – Žádné jsem neposlouchala.

I didn’t take Joan to swim in the pool today. – It could mean we forgot about it.

I didn’t take Joan to swim in the pool today. – I could take somebody else.

I didn’t take Joan to swim in the pool today. – I could take her to play

I didn’t take Joan to swim in the pool today. – I could take her to swim to the lake.

I didn’t take Joan to swim in the pool today. – I could take her yesterday.

I didn’t take Joan to swim in the pool today. – My mom could take her.

I didn’t leave home because I was afraid of my father. – Neodešel jsem, protože jsem se bál otce.

I didn’t leave home because I was afraid of my father. – We would continue – “but because I was afraid of my mother”. Znamenalo by to, že jsem odešel.

All the children didn’t sleep. – Nobody slept.

All the children didn’t sleep. – Some of them slept.

• Modals have deontic and epistemic meaning

• Deontic

  • Attitude to actions

• Epistemic

  • Based on our judgment of situation

You may not smoke in here. – Nesmět – deontic

You may not like the party. – Možná – epistemic – it’s our judgment

Transferred negatives

• The meaning is the same.

I don’t think she’ll arrive before 7. – “more English” – we want to put negative at the beginning of the sentence

I think she won’t arrive before 7.

Contrasting negatives

He told me not to feed the animals. – Řekl mi, abych nekrmil zvířata.

He didn’t tell me to feed the animals. – Neřekl mi, abych krmil zvířata.

• The meaning is the same:

I don’t have any friends in Prague. – “any” in negative sentence = none

I have no friends in Prague.

Nikdo mě nikdy neměl rád – Nobody has ever liked me.

• We can’t say “Anybody has never liked me.” – The negative expression is the subject, it must be negative????????????????? WTF

Negative expressions

• Scarcely, hardly… - adverbials

• Denial, failure – nouns

• Deny, fail – verbs

• She isn’t happy → She is unhappy. (negative prefixes)

• She isn’t very happy.

• She is very unhappy. It is not the same.

Global and local negation

Global - if the verb is negative

• I don’t have any friends in Prague.

• I have no friends in Prague.

• I know nothing about it. – because the verb is negative