Negative Concord
Why Do So Many Languages Use Double Negation?
Play videoVideo explaining Jespersen's Cycle, in which negation in language starts out as [no]+[phrase], becoming [no]+[phrase]+[no], finally becoming [phrase]+[no]. This specific language change has happened or is in the process of happening several times, and it is not entirely clear why.
The video goes over what I think is the most interesting theory at 3:10 - negation is semantically important (failing to hear it completely changes the meaning) but usually formally insignificant (it's short and easy to not hear). This leads to speakers innovating redundancy, like in French where "pas" ([no]+[phrase]+"a step") is added, or potentially in English, with "squat" (didn't [phrase] squat).
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Negatives on Negatives. Angel Gaines
Play videoStandup clip about the connotation of different amounts of negation in AAL.
Keye & Peele - Proud Thug
Play videoIn this Key and Peele skit called “Proud Thug”, comedians Michael Keegan-Key and Jordan Peele portray stereotypical Hispanic gangsters. They use terms like “holmes”, “homie” and “esé” to refer to each other. On top of the heavy Spanish accents, they use some broken English, double negatives, slang, and a lot of cursing to communicate in a way that Hispanic “gangstas” are expected to.
Common: The People
Play videoThe music video for Common's song "The People," in the rapper uses many features of African American English.
Listen: How to Speak with a certain Southern Twang
Walt Wolfram discusses the Appalachian variety in North Carolina in an audio clip for North Carolina public radio, including features like [Published on 06-09-2014]
Hagar the Horrible: I don't get no respect
A blog page that contains a comic strip from Hagar the Horrible where Hagar's negative concord is stigmatized.
African American English: The Wren
Play audioAn audio file of an African American man reading the poem The Wren.
