Double negatives in Japanese


To be clear, I'm talking in this case about double negatives originating in
Japanese, not ones that are being translated into it.

When I was in college, one of my professors taught the class to use
[疲]{つか}れていなくない in place of 疲れた, explaining it as a face-saving measure by at
least putting up appearances of saying you're not tired. Is the resulting
〜なくない ending standard or valid? If so, is this practice at all common, or is
was the professor passing on her own idiomatic usage? If it's relevant at all,
said professor grew up in Osaka.




Somewhat confusingly, double nagatives in Japanese can mean a range of
different things.

Sometimes it is used to signify that something exists at all, however little
it is, as in the case of 疲れていなくもない or お金がなくもない. Other times it is used to
emphasize that everyone did something or everything matches something, as in
声を上げない者はなかった.

The former meaning has a good parallel in English , namely "a few" --- "a few
good men" has an emphasis on the existence of good men, however few they are.

Similarly 疲れていなくはない emphasizes the existence of tiresomeness, even if it is
just a bit. Expressions like this refers to a small amount of something, and
in that sense I'm in agreement with what your professor told you, that it can
be used as a face-saving measure; you are only admitting that you are tired
just a little.

So yes, it is a veryy common usage of the language, not just local to her
area.




Somewhat confusingly, double nagatives in Japanese can mean a range of
different things.

Sometimes it is used to signify that something exists at all, however little
it is, as in the case of 疲れていなくもない or お金がなくもない. Other times it is used to
emphasize that everyone did something or everything matches something, as in
声を上げない者はなかった.

The former meaning has a good parallel in English , namely "a few" --- "a few
good men" has an emphasis on the existence of good men, however few they are.

Similarly 疲れていなくはない emphasizes the existence of tiresomeness, even if it is
just a bit. Expressions like this refers to a small amount of something, and
in that sense I'm in agreement with what your professor told you, that it can
be used as a face-saving measure; you are only admitting that you are tired
just a little.

So yes, it is a veryy common usage of the language, not just local to her
area.

