Negation – An Overview of Typological Research

Abstract

This article is an overview of the current state of typological research on negation. Structures expressing standard negation – the negation of declarative verbal main clauses – can be classified on the basis of the status of the negative marker, or on the basis of the structure of the negative clause as a whole. Structural similarities and differences (symmetry and asymmetry) between negatives and affirmatives can be observed and classified into different types which can then be offered functional explanations. Negative strategies used in imperatives, existentials and nonverbal clauses often differ from standard negation; these differences are exemplified and discussed. The interaction between negative indefinite pronouns and standard negation shows interesting cross-linguistic variation in terms of whether the latter co-occurs with the indefinite and whether the indefinite is inherently negative. Some cross-linguistic observations on diachronic developments and on the interaction between negation and modality and negation and focus are also briefly discussed.