amused
- 2016-05-09
You said:
"Double negatives exist in spoken Chinese just as much as they do in spoken English!"
That is incorrect.
Also, "exist" "just as much" is sloppy thinking. Existence is not quantified.
paul fox
- 2016-05-09
I didn't say they were DOUBLE negatives
I was changing the subject just a little when I said, 'However, their still remains a huge issue with negatives', before introducing tag questions.
You are correct in that tag questions are a request for affirmation. However, my point was simply that when a NES requests affirmation by using a negative statement followed by a tag question, Chinese NES have a tendency to confirm the statement, rather than answer the tag question.
They simply follow the Chinese pattern, but answers such as 'Yes, we won't' are often confusing to NES
amused
- 2016-05-09
Chinese routinely express affirmation and denial by repeating the verb form.
They always do this in the example you provide: '去' 'to go'.
The 'tag questions' that you mention, 对不对,实不实,好不好, are requests for affirmation of understanding and/or establishing agreement, not information. "Going to the park is fun, isn't it?" 对啊
paul fox
- 2016-05-08
I can clearly state that sentence patterns in Chinese with double negatives do not exist
Utter rubbish! Double negatives exist in spoken Chinese just as much as they do in spoken English! Try checking with a native Chinese speaker before making such rash statements!
Amused is correct, Chinese teachers tend to teach English in a pragmatic way, and as such, their grammar teaching is often better than a NES.
However, their still remains a huge issue with negatives. NES often use 'tag questions/statements' in the negative form, as in - 'We won;t go to the park this afternoon, will we?'
Chinese would essentially say - 'We won't go to the park this afternoon, yes or no?', to which the answer is a resounding 'Yes', because they are agreeing with the STATEMENT and not answering the tag question. This causes much confusion for NES because what they are essentially saying is 'Yes, we won't', and that is not what NES ears are conditioned to hear.
Take a simple statement/tag question such as, 'You failed your exam, didn't you?', and if correct, the answer is 'Yes', which is the same answer if agreeing with the statement or answering the tag question.
Turn it into negative form and say 'You didn't pass your exam, did you?', and when the answer comes back as 'Yes' (because they are agreeing with the statement and not actually answering the question), then NES become confused.
'You didn't pass your exam, did you?' = 'No' or 'No, I didn't' is what we are listening for and not 'Yes, I didn't'
Am I 'right' here, or just 'not wrong'?
Dui de? or bu cuo le?