fpb: (Default)
fpb ([personal profile] fpb) wrote2005-09-28 04:52 pm

A little linguistic story (stolen from the Linguistics community)

A linguistics professor was lecturing to his class one day.

"In English," he said, "a double negative forms a positive. In some languages though, such as Russian, a double negative is still a negative.

However," he pointed out, "there is no language wherein a double positive can form a negative."

A voice from the back of the room piped up, "Yeah. Right."

[identity profile] izhilzha.livejournal.com 2005-09-28 04:51 pm (UTC)(link)
Ahahaha...that's awesome. *commits to memory to tell fellow word-geeks later*

(Anonymous) 2005-09-28 06:12 pm (UTC)(link)
Heh.

I didn't get it at first, but heheh.

[identity profile] patagonian.livejournal.com 2005-09-28 07:26 pm (UTC)(link)
Another late in the day giggle.

[identity profile] goreism.livejournal.com 2005-09-28 08:35 pm (UTC)(link)
Hehe, I'd forgotten that one.

[identity profile] privatemaladict.livejournal.com 2005-09-28 10:12 pm (UTC)(link)
*giggles*

Ahh, the old professor hasn't been keeping up with the times!

Great little story.

[identity profile] curia-regis.livejournal.com 2005-09-29 05:01 am (UTC)(link)
*giggles*

I love that! I'm so going to tell other people!

Off topic

[identity profile] super-pan.livejournal.com 2005-09-30 05:00 pm (UTC)(link)
FPB, I hope everything is going well. I thought I read that you were in the middle of a move, so I hope that means you have a permanent home now. Anyway, I just wanted to let you know I've been thinking about you.

Re: Off topic

[identity profile] fpb.livejournal.com 2005-09-30 05:37 pm (UTC)(link)
Thank you. I am moving about Monday, as for permanent homes, I had hoped this one was it - at least for a few years. But man proposes and God disposes, says the Italian proverb.