English Negation Fragment #
@cite{miestamo-2005} @cite{haspelmath-2013} @cite{dryer-haspelmath-2013}
English expresses standard negation with the particle not (contracted n't). WALS classifies English as both symmetric and asymmetric (SymAsy):
Symmetric: with modals, be, and have, negation simply adds not with no structural change: He can swim → He cannot swim.
Asymmetric (A/Cat): with lexical verbs, negation introduces auxiliary do (do-support): He eats → He does not eat. This is a category-level change — the finite verb becomes an auxiliary, and the lexical verb appears as a bare infinitive.
Negative indefinites (Ch 115) #
WALS classifies English as mixed:
- nobody, nothing preclude predicate negation: Nobody came / *Nobody didn't come
- anything, ever require predicate negation: I didn't see anything / *I saw anything
not — English's standard negation particle.
The contracted form n't attaches as a clitic to auxiliaries
(isn't, don't, won't); see negContracted for the citation form
of that allomorph. With lexical verbs, do-support is required:
He does not eat, not *He not eats.
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- Fragments.English.Negation.not = { form := "not", morphemeType := Typology.Negation.NegMorphemeType.particle, position := Typology.Negation.NegMarkerPosition.preverbal }
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The contracted form n't. Phonologically a clitic on the auxiliary; syntactically the same negation marker as not. Listed for the completeness of the citation forms; downstream consumers should treat not as the canonical entry.
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The English negation system: a single preverbal particle.
The Fragment-side joint consumed by Phenomena/Negation/Studies/Dryer2013.lean.
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An English negation example.
- affirmative : String
- negative : String
- glossAff : String
- glossNeg : String
- doSupport : Bool
Does this construction require do-support?
- symmetric : Bool
Is this construction symmetric (neg = aff + neg marker, no other change)?
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- Fragments.English.Negation.instBEqNegExample.beq x✝¹ x✝ = false
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Modal can: symmetric (no do-support).
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Copula be: symmetric (no do-support).
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Auxiliary have: symmetric (no do-support).
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Lexical verb, present: asymmetric (do-support required).
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Lexical verb, past: asymmetric (do-support required).
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Verification #
3 symmetric + 2 asymmetric = SymAsy.
Asymmetric constructions all involve do-support.
Symmetric constructions do not involve do-support.
English negation profile (WALS Ch 112-115 + Greco/JinKoenig fields).
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