negation - "I ain’t gonna give nobody none of my jelly roll" (Armstrong, 1958)





Is there a rule about double negations that aren't meant as double negations (e.g. “We don't need no education”)?
“I give nothing to no-one” or “I do not give anything to anyone”




(a)  "I ain’t gonna give nobody none of my jelly roll."



Is (a), the title of one of the odder songs in the Armstrong discography, equivalent to (b) below?



(b)  "I am not going to give anybody any of my jelly roll."




Answer



Multiple negation has been a feature of English for centuries. Modern Standard English does not allow it, but it is found in other dialects, as your example shows. In dialects where multiple negation occurs, the strength of the negation increases with the number of negatives.


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