Negation

Negation refers to the situation in which something is said not to be the case.

Negation is the logical operation in propositional logic which turns the truth value of a proposition into its opposite. Proposition Neg phi is true if and only if phi is not true:

(i)	phi		Neg phi
 	 1		   0
	 0		   1

The negation operator Neg is a unary connective. In syllogistic logic, negation can be an operator on terms. Thus in nobody is ill, the term nobody is considered the negation of somebody.

Term properties

Relational adjective: negative

Subtypes

• double negation
• sentential negation

See also

• negative transportation
• prohibitive

References

• Gamut, L.T.F. 1991. Logic, language, and meaning, Univ. of Chicago Press, Chicago.
• Givón, Talmy. 1978. Negation in language: Pragmatics, function, ontology. In: Peter Cole (ed.) Syntax and Semantics, Volume 9 (Pragmatics). New York: Academic Press, 69-112.
• Horn, Lawrence R. 1989. A natural history of negation. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.

Links

Utrecht Lexicon of Linguistics