is this actually correct?

Question

i heard many people say, "i aint got no money", "i dont know nothing", "i didnt do nothing". and things like that. i thought only Hispanic speakers speak like that. but many song lyrics use those. and many English speakers speak like that too. is this some kinda accent?

Answer 1

No the double negative is not correct for any language

Answer 2

That is not correct. It is "I don't have any money" or "I don't know anything". I just made a post about it a little while ago. It is about the American ignorance. It is people who don't care, who don't want to learn and it get bled into language and passed off as right. I see it as ignorance and poor education and upbringing (which it is). I don't understand why people either refuse to learn the right way to do things or refuse to teach people the correct way of doing things. Instead we take the easy way out and look like morons.

And just as a little point of information. People who English is not a first language will usually talk like that because in other languages the double negative (aint and no ... don't and nothing) are correct speaking -- Spanish included -- in their native language so to them they are actually speaking correctly.

Answer 3

Well, I don't know why you would think that "only Hispanic speakers speak like that." No it's not "some kinda accent." My guess is that the author intentionally worded the sentence(s) that way for any number of reasons. Perhaps he/she is trying to speak in a way that allows him to fit in, or that will put others at ease, eventhough he knows it's not good English.

Answer 4

Double negatives have been used for emphasis for centuries among the less educated classes on both sides of the lake. It is not hispanic in origin, but came to America in steerage while more proper usage was riding in the first class accommodations above-deck.

Answer 5

It's not really an accent, and it's grammatically incorrect - they're all double negatives. People who speak that way tend to be of a "street-like" culture. The impression I have, is that people who speak that way want to express their "fondness" for their culture, and their willingness to preserve their culture.

Though it's more grammatically accurate to say:
"I don't have money,"
"I don't know anything," and
"I didn't do anything"

Answer 6

I suppose it is. It depends what you hear more. The correct way, or that slang way. I speak like that. I'm not Hispanic. I tend not to type like that as much as I speak it.

It's sometimes easier to talk like that if you speak faster. Like me. ;)

Answer 7

People who lack a proper education (or don't hold it in high regard) tend to use the double-negative more than others. It is a sign of ignorance.

Answer 8

I equate all those phrases to Brooklyn, New York. At least that's where I foist ...ahem first...heard them. If you go back to a lot of old black and white movies, you'll hear that phraseology all the time, especially gangster movies.

Answer 9

double negatives are not correct English. However I am guilty of using them, I am also not Hispanic.

Answer 10

This is a common mistake because in spanish and in portuguese double negative is acceptable....but in english sounds 'poor english' to me...


i only use:
i have nothing
i dont have anything
i got no money


etc..

=)

Answer 11

No it's people who use poor English.

Those sentences are double negatives.

If I ain't got no money: If I haven't got any money I must have some money.

If I didn't do nothing: I must have done something.