Re: YYMMDD (was: Re: Láadan)

taliesin the storyteller scripsit:

> > Of *them*? Don't you do that in Norway?
>
> (Is the affirmative here "yes" or "no"? Always forgets, N. has a third
> word "jo" to answer affirmatively here.)
It's "yes".  In English, negation is ignored in questions except as a way
of indicating what answer is expected.  A negative question expects the
answer "yes"; a non-negative question either expects the answer "no" or
is neutral about what it expects.

        Isn't Fido a dog? (expects "yes")
        Yes (Fido is a dog) or No (Fido is not a dog)

        Is Fido a dog? (neutral)
        Yes (Fido is a dog) or No (Fido is not a dog)

IIRC, French and German have the third form (affirmative answer to negative
question), whereas Russian and Japanese use the "logical" answer, saying
"No" to the first question if Fido is a dog, and "Yes" if Fido isn't a dog.

--
I suggest you call for help,                    John Cowan
or learn the difficult art of mud-breathing.    jcowan@reutershealth.com
        --Great-Souled Sam                      http://www.ccil.org/~cowan

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