Negation

Greek Learning Greek
1

I am confused by what I have seen about double (and triple, and … ) negation in Greek. An exercise has

None have appeared (who are) able to help us.

I think it should be:

οὐδένες ἱκανοὶ ὠφελεῖν ἡμᾶς οὐ πεφασμένοι εἰσίν.

However, I don’t feel sure about the second negative. When does Greek use double negatives? Is there a consistent rule?

2

Hi Zembel,

On p. 151, Mastronarde says, ‘Formal English does not tolerate double negatives, but in Greek idiom a simple negative can be followed by additional negative forms in the same clause with reinforcing emphasis. (The English translation has to convert the additional negatives to positive equivalents.)’

The example sentence he gives is:

οὐκ ἐπαινέσομαι οὔτε τοὺς Ἀθηναίους οὔτε τοὺς βαρβάρους.
I shall not praise either the Athenians or the Persians.

HTH,
truks

3

Thanks Truks.

I am a bit bothered by that “can” of Mastronarde’s. I am at home with negative polarity in Russian, where it not only can but must be “I never told nobody nothing.” If this is a stylistic choice in Greek, I can imagine things could get confusing.

“I couldn’t fail to disagree with you less.”

4

You would be well advised to invest in a decent Grammar.

Multiple Negatives

56.3 If there are two or more negatives in one clause, they cancel each other if (and only if):

  • the second negative is simple, i.e. not a compound form;
  • both negatives belong to the same predicate:

(1) οὐδεὶς ἀνθρώπων ἀδικῶν τίσιν οὐκ ἀποτίσει. (Hdt. 5.56.1)

No man will not get punishment for being unjust.(=‘Everyone who is unjust will be punished.’; the second negative is simple and both negatives belong to the same predicate, so they cancel each other.)


56.4 If the second negative is a compound, it intensifies the first (only one should be translated as negative):

(2) οὐκ ἔστιν ἀνδρὶ ἀγαθῷ κακὸν οὐδὲν. (Pl.Ap. 41d)

Nothing evil (at all) happens to a good man. The second negative is a compound form, so it strengthens the first.


56.5 Negatives belonging to different predicates or phrases keep their force:

(3) οὐ διὰ τὸ μὴ ἀκοντίζειν οὐκ ἔβαλον αὐτόν. (Antiph.3.4.6)

It was not because they did not throw (lit. ‘not because of the not-throwing’) that they did not hit him. The first οὐ modifies the prepositional phrase διὰ …ἀκοντίζειν, μὴ modifies ἀκοντίζειν, the second οὐκ modifies ἔβαλον: the suggestion is ‘It was not for a lack of trying that they missed him’.

Cambridge Grammar of Classical Greek p 648-9

I trust that this will clear things up for you.

5

Thanks Seneca, very clear.

And yes, I should have found this on my own. I have already got CGCG.