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Not going to the store, was: going without "without"

From:Irina Rempt-Drijfhout <ira@...>
Date:Wednesday, August 18, 1999, 7:33
I wrote:

> You *can* even say "All of us aren't going to the store" in some > contexts. It means, of course, "None of us are going to the store" > but defines "all of us" as a single body rather than a collection of > individuals each with their own plans.
And kept thinking about it when I'd already gone to bed, so much that I contemplated going downstairs to write this but fell asleep before I could... Positive: Anini alea dinyes le denayn 1p-S all-A shop-ill-s RFL put-1p-PRS "All of us are going to the store" Unmarked negative: Anini nalea dinyes na le denayn 1p-S none-A shop-ill-s NEG RFL put-1p-PRS "None of us are going to the store" That is, every one of us decided for him/herself not to go. Only the verb negated: Anini alea dinyes na le denayn 1p-S all-A shop-ill-s NEG RFL put-1p-PRS "All of us aren't going to the store" That is, all of us collectively (perhaps a little defiantly) decided not to go. Only the subject negated: ? Anini nalea dinyes le denayn 1p-S none-A shop-ill-s RFL put-1p-PRS "None of us are going to the store" I'm not sure whether this is grammatical; probably not. It would mean that there's a specific nobody who is going. Goal negated: Anini alea ni dinyes na le denayn 1p-S all-A NEG shop-ill-s NEG RFL put-1p-PRS "All of us aren't going to the STORE" But we may be going to the market. It can do without _na_: Anini alea ni dinyes le denayn 1p-S all-A NEG shop-ill-s RFL put-1p-PRS "All of us aren't going to the STORE" meaning the same thing, perhaps putting slightly more emphasis on the fact that we *are* going somewhere. Whether or not to negate the verb is a matter of dialect and personal choice; pedants and people from the north (some would say that's a tautology) will put _na_ in more often. Let's negate everything and see what happens: * Anini nalea ni dinyes na le denayn 1p-S none-A NEG shop-ill-s NEG RFL put-1p-PRS "None of us aren't going to the store" That's one negation too many, apparently. Irina Varsinen an laynynay, saraz no arlet rastynay. irina@rempt.xs4all.nl (myself) http://www.xs4all.nl/~bsarempt/irina/index.html (English) http://www.xs4all.nl/~bsarempt/irina/backpage.html (Nederlands)