Negations Overview

Negations in Old English are different from negations in modern English in three ways.

Word Order

The negative particle always precedes the verb and often starts a sentence or construction. For example, 'Ne com heo - She didn't come' (literally 'not come she')' or 'Ne stel ðu - Do not steal' (literally 'no steal you'). It should be noted that auixlliary verbs like 'do' or 'can' are not routinely used in negative constructions the way they are in modern English. For example, 'I do not like', 'I cannot come'. Examine the sentence, 'Ne mette he nan gebun land - He did not find unoccupied land'.

Negated Verbs

Sometimes the negative particle that precedes the verb is joined to the start of the verb. This only happens with certain verbs, the most important being 'wesan - to be', 'habban - to have', and 'willan - to wish/want'. When this fusing of the negative particle to the start of the verb happens, sometimes the initial letters of the verb or the vowel in 'ne' is lost, leaving forms such as 'nis' (a contraction of 'ne is - is not') or 'noldon' (a contraction of 'ne woldon - did not want'). This process also happens with certain indefinite pronouns and adjectives which give us forms such as 'nan - none' (from 'ne an - not one'). Examine the sentence, 'Nylle ðu forgytan ealle edleanunga - You don't want to forget all rewards'.

Double Negatives

In modern English, negatives cancel each other out. So, 'I do not not love Old English' means that you do, in fact, love it. In Old English, double negation simply emphasises the negation, and it is common to find negation applied to every word that can be made negative in a single sentence. If you are unfamiliar with how negation works, this can make the sentence very hard to read. For example, 'ða ða we hit nowæðer ne selfe ne lufodon ne eac oðrum mannum ne lefdon - When we neither loved it ourselves, nor even allowed it to others'.

The sentence below, 'Neom ic na Crist - I am not Christ', demonstrates all three of these features of Old English negation: word order, negated verbs, and double negation. See if you can spot them.