Do negatives work algebraically? [closed]

Solution 1:

In "standard" English dialects, negating a negation makes a positive statement. I am not typing nothing means I am typing something. And by this same logic, I am not not typing nothing would mean I am typing nothing. A memorable example of this is a line from Bill and Ted's Bogus Journey: "That was non-non-non-NON-heinous!" In other words, that was heinous.

However, numerous non-standard English dialects use double negation as a form of emphasis. I didn't eat none of that food means I really did not eat any of that food. Just as in standard dialects, the addition of extra negatives follows a consistent logic. In this case, instead of additional negation, it's additional emphasis. "Ain't nobody gonna eat none of my jellyroll" would mean, no one is going to eat my jellyroll and I mean it!