Poll: A double negative...

Willbut

It's usally negative, but it doesn't have to be always.

Stunz

Heard in a coffee bar:

"These days you don't never get nuthing for nuthing."

Damn right, too!

Red5

You ain't wrong there. ;-)

Willbut

"Two negatives can be negative or positive, but two positives can never be negative.'
'Yeah, right.'

cutie

old english:
(-) * (-) = +
new english:
(-) * (-) = dramatically error
=)

Joan

Shakespeare used them with a negative meaning.

Don

'This project ain't going nowhere.'
'You're wrong- it isn't going nowhere.'

The first is negative, the second positive.

MrTrilby

Joan, Shakespeare died 400 years ago; things have moved on.

It's a negative, however the speaker rarely intends for it to be. "This project ain't going nowhere" means this project is going somewhere. The speaker means the opposite.

TopHat

I don't agree, Mr Trilby. The first speaker means that the project isn't going anywhere. It's the second speaker who disagrees