2024年4月27日发(作者：)

Abstract： English double negative sentence is a kind of very special

sentence pattern in English. There have been a lot of studies on the general attitude

towards double negative sentence on its formation, translation, usages, effect and

so on. Through different sentence patterns, they can manifest particular functions

that cannot be found in general sentence or affirmative sentence. The way of

expressing a negative concept in English is quite different from that in Chinese.

Based on the analysis of the double negative sentences, for example, through their

formations, translations, usages and effects and by some typical examples of the

negative sentences, the author intends to make a further analysis on the usage and

translation of this kind of sentences in physical field and tries to summarize the

reasons why these sentences are used so frequently in this field.

Key words： English double negative sentence; usage; translation; physical

field

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Usage and Translation of English

Double Negative Sentence in Physical Field

物理领域英语双重否定句的翻译

1. Introduction

Negation and affirmation are totally opposite twin concepts. The idea of negation is a part of

linguistics universal for almost all the languages in the world, but languages differ in ways to

accomplish negation. Complexity of forms in English to express negative meaning, disagreement

between negation meaning and negative form, difference from idiomatic expression and pattern

between Chinese and English result in the difficulties in understanding translation and negative

phenomenon in English. For these reasons, when we translate an English material for Science

and Technology Purpose, we can never be too careful in translating it. Through the meaning they

conveyed, negative sentence could be generally divided into two kinds: complete negation and

partial negation. From the structure they formed, negative sentence could mainly be divided into

two types: common negative sentence and special negative sentence. And special negative

sentence contains many different sorts, too. They are double negative sentence, transfer negative

sentence, implicit negative sentence, complete negative sentence, partial negative sentence,

continued negative sentence, suppressive negative sentence, and so on. All the negations I

mentioned above can make the translator confused easily when they come to understand or

translate them, so, in this paper I will pay special attention to one of those special negative

sentences-----double negative sentence. And this paper will concentrate on the usage and

translation of English double negative sentence in physical field.

2. General Information of English Double Negative Sentence

2.1 Introduction about Double Negative Sentence：

2.1.1 Definition：

Just as Chen Hongwei mentioned in 《英汉翻译基础》, double negative sentence is a kind

of special negative sentence which contains two negative words or a negative word and a word

or a phrase that has a negative meaning. To use negation twice in a sentence has an effect on

counteracting the negative meaning, but at the same time the mood of the whole sentence turns

to be strong affirmation.

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The phenomenon of double negation exists both in Chinese and English. The primary

function of this structure is to strengthen the mood of speaking. Compared with the common

affirmative sentence, double negative sentence can add the mood of the affirmation, so,

according to what Chen Hongwei said, in my opinion, actually, double negative sentence is

negation plus negation. The basic meaning of this structure can be considered as one negation

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