I ain't owe nobody nothing

[Infected Mushroom]

While in the American South I overheard a conversation and someone exclaimed:

"I ain't owe nobody nothing!"

It seems to me that what they might be saying was: "I don't owe any debts whatsoever." But then why make it sound so confusing?

I want to discuss, regardless of what the speaker intended to mean... What is the true meaning (according to the rules of English and logic) of the phrase: "I ain't owe nobody nothing."?

Please discuss the true meaning of the phrase from your point of view. You may say, "who cares what the True meaning is when they want it to mean X ("I don't owe any debts whatsoever"). But see it matters. Because I can't just go out there and scream "I bought 3 apples" and then upon being reminded of this, simply shrug and say... "I REALLY said, according to my own language, I bought 4 pears and no god damn apples." See there should be rules of logic and English at least to some extent and its collective to a degree.

So to rephrase the discussion point:

What, according to you, is the true meaning (using rules of English and logic or a combination thereof) of the phrase: "I ain't owe nobody nothing."?

In my view it means that he actually said:

"It is not the case that I owe not a single person absolutely no debts. I owe everybody at least something."

Wow

[Sovaal]

The mean is literally that he doesn't owe anybody anything. English dialects are just confusing, and double negatives are fairly common in vulgar (common) speech.

I honestly don't see what there is to discuss here. Might as well argue about whether or not the sky is blue or that rocks are hard or water is wet.

[Bombadil]

I was in an argument with an Australian when they came out with the phrase 'don't come the raw prawn with me mate', and I was so utterly confused as to what that might mean I lost the argument because I just didn't have a response to it.

I suspect if someone came out with this line I'd be similarly like 'wait, sorry, what did you just say..?'

[Englar Empire]

If someone tells me "I ain't owe nobody nothing!", I assume they don't have any education debt. If they do, they totally got ripped off!

[The Two Jerseys]

Confirmed: IM is Professor Henry Higgins.

[Herador]

People have run roughshod over their own languages for as long as there have been languages. This is nothing new.

[Infected Mushroom]

The mean is literally that he doesn't owe anybody anything. English dialects are just confusing, and double negatives are fairly common in vulgar (common) speech.

I honestly don't see what there is to discuss here. Might as well argue about whether or not the sky is blue or that rocks are hard or water is wet.

How did this emerge though and why has no one fixed it? Do some American politicians and lawyers talk/write like this too?

Ain't = don't/didn't

If I don't owe nobody nothing... Then I have debts everywhere?????

[Infected Mushroom]

If someone tells me "I ain't owe nobody nothing!", I assume they don't have any education debt. If they do, they totally got ripped off!

Wow is this taught in schools too?

[The Dragon Realms Empire]

While in the American South I overheard a conversation and someone exclaimed:

"I ain't owe nobody nothing!"

It seems to me that what they might be saying was: "I don't owe any debts whatsoever." But then why make it sound so confusing?

I want to discuss, regardless of what the speaker intended to mean... What is the true meaning (according to the rules of English and logic) of the phrase: "I ain't owe nobody nothing."?

Please discuss the true meaning of the phrase from your point of view. You may say, "who cares what the True meaning is when they want it to mean X ("I don't owe any debts whatsoever"). But see it matters. Because I can't just go out there and scream "I bought 3 apples" and then upon being reminded of this, simply shrug and say... "I REALLY said, according to my own language, I bought 4 pears and no god damn apples." See there should be rules of logic and English at least to some extent and its collective to a degree.

So to rephrase the discussion point:

What, according to you, is the true meaning (using rules of English and logic or a combination thereof) of the phrase: "I ain't owe nobody nothing."?

In my view it means that he actually said:

"It is not the case that I owe not a single person absolutely no debts. I owe everybody at least something."

Wow

I think it means "I do not (In incorrect form for the pronoun, but I digress) owe to no one nothing". To say "I owe no one nothing" would imply that you owe something to everyone, but to say that you do not owe no one nothing would be the inverse, so there is at least one person who you do owe nothing to.

But of course literal meanings are less important than what is understood when it is said (Which is why literal translations of foreign languages are not always reliable) and the understood meaning that the person owes nothing to anybody.

[Sovaal]

The mean is literally that he doesn't owe anybody anything. English dialects are just confusing, and double negatives are fairly common in vulgar (common) speech.

I honestly don't see what there is to discuss here. Might as well argue about whether or not the sky is blue or that rocks are hard or water is wet.

How did this emerge though and why has no one fixed it? Do some American politicians and lawyers talk/write like this too?

Ain't = don't/didn't

If I don't owe nobody nothing... Then I have debts everywhere?????

It's common speech. Most people don't talk like they're reading from a law book. Been this way for millennia, ever heard of Vulgar Latin?

[Infected Mushroom]

While in the American South I overheard a conversation and someone exclaimed:

"I ain't owe nobody nothing!"

It seems to me that what they might be saying was: "I don't owe any debts whatsoever." But then why make it sound so confusing?

I want to discuss, regardless of what the speaker intended to mean... What is the true meaning (according to the rules of English and logic) of the phrase: "I ain't owe nobody nothing."?

Please discuss the true meaning of the phrase from your point of view. You may say, "who cares what the True meaning is when they want it to mean X ("I don't owe any debts whatsoever"). But see it matters. Because I can't just go out there and scream "I bought 3 apples" and then upon being reminded of this, simply shrug and say... "I REALLY said, according to my own language, I bought 4 pears and no god damn apples." See there should be rules of logic and English at least to some extent and its collective to a degree.

So to rephrase the discussion point:

What, according to you, is the true meaning (using rules of English and logic or a combination thereof) of the phrase: "I ain't owe nobody nothing."?

In my view it means that he actually said:

"It is not the case that I owe not a single person absolutely no debts. I owe everybody at least something."

Wow

I think it means "I do not (In incorrect form for the pronoun, but I digress) owe to no one nothing". To say "I owe no one nothing" would imply that you owe something to everyone, but to say that you do not owe no one nothing would be the inverse, so there is at least one person who you do owe nothing to.

But of course literal meanings are less important than what is understood when it is said (Which is why literal translations of foreign languages are not always reliable) and the understood meaning that the person owes nothing to anybody.

I was struggling between it actually meaning: "I owe everyone at least something" and "I owe at least one person something."

I could be wrong but I think I concluded that it logically came out as the former.

[Sovaal]

If someone tells me "I ain't owe nobody nothing!", I assume they don't have any education debt. If they do, they totally got ripped off!

Wow is this taught in schools too?

What? Pretty sure that was a joke.

[Oil exporting People]

What, according to you, is the true meaning (using rules of English and logic or a combination thereof) of the phrase: "I ain't owe nobody nothing."?

Depends on the context, although I've usually said it myself when someone (or a group of someones) apply I owe a favor or something, when I felt I didn't.

[Katganistan]

The mean is literally that he doesn't owe anybody anything. English dialects are just confusing, and double negatives are fairly common in vulgar (common) speech.

I honestly don't see what there is to discuss here. Might as well argue about whether or not the sky is blue or that rocks are hard or water is wet.

Correct.

Ain't, while it is now not considered standard English, was originally a contraction of am not.

In English, a double negative becomes a positive.

It parses out correctly when you rewrite it knowing those things.

"I am not owing anybody anything".

[Albrenia]

Technically, wouldn't that phrase mean:

"I owe everybody something."

Or it could just be word salad.

Or it could be that I'm starting sentences with Or, which you shouldn't do.

[Giovenith]

Well, it's a triple negative, so I guess it technically means exactly what it's intended to mean.

[Computer Lab]

Oh yay. Are we going to try and force standard English on people again?

That isn't quite how languages work... like at all. Who is to say that your dialect is any better than another person's dialect?
I am certain your dialect has its own idiosyncrasies that differ from standard English.

It clearly means he doesn't owe anybody anything.

[Quelsh]

"I ain't owe nobody nothing" most directly translates to owing something to nobody, which doesn't really make sense. What it likely meant was that the speaker does not owe something to anyone.

[Katganistan]

Oh yay. Are we going to try and force standard English on people again?

That isn't quite how languages work... like at all. Who is to say that your dialect is any better than another person's dialect?
I am certain your dialect has its own idiosyncrasies that differ from standard English.

It clearly means he doesn't owe anybody anything.

Amusingly enough, ain't once WAS standard.

[Rusozak]

Oh yay. Are we going to try and force standard English on people again?

That isn't quite how languages work... like at all. Who is to say that your dialect is any better than another person's dialect?
I am certain your dialect has its own idiosyncrasies that differ from standard English.

It clearly means he doesn't owe anybody anything.

So, do double negatives not exist is some dialects? I'm seriously asking.

[Neutraligon]

Oh yay. Are we going to try and force standard English on people again?

That isn't quite how languages work... like at all. Who is to say that your dialect is any better than another person's dialect?
I am certain your dialect has its own idiosyncrasies that differ from standard English.

It clearly means he doesn't owe anybody anything.

So, do double negatives not exist is some dialects? I'm seriously asking.

Double negatives are considered improper grammar in textbook American English

[The East Marches II]

Oh yay. Are we going to try and force standard English on people again?

That isn't quite how languages work... like at all. Who is to say that your dialect is any better than another person's dialect?
I am certain your dialect has its own idiosyncrasies that differ from standard English.

It clearly means he doesn't owe anybody anything.

I'm from the Midwest so clearly my pure best English means my opinion a best!

[United Human Planets]

Well, as a person who is from and currently living in the American South, I can tell you that most likely what is meant by this outburst is exactly what you said.

However, there is probably more nuance to saying a thing like that than what it means at face value. This person said "I aint owe nobody nothin." Given the way a phrase like that is used, we can reasonably assume that this person was accused by someone or someone asked them or told them to give them something that they supposedly owed. By saying "I aint owe nobody nothing," this person writes off the accusers attempts to get them to pay something by saying that they are debt free.

As for the phrasing itself, that most likely just comes from regional dialects. English is a bizarre language, and is constantly evolving, which means that there are many different ways of speaking it. So while the way this person may have said that is different from what you may be used to, it is essence is the southern equivalent of a northern person saying "I dont owe you shit."

[Neutraligon]

Well, as a person who is from and currently living in the American South, I can tell you that most likely what is meant by this outburst is exactly what you said.

However, there is probably more nuance to saying a thing like that than what it means at face value. This person said "I aint owe nobody nothin." Given the way a phrase like that is used, we can reasonably assume that this person was accused by someone or someone asked them or told them to give them something that they supposedly owed. By saying "I aint owe nobody nothing," this person writes off the accusers attempts to get them to pay something by saying that they are debt free.

As for the phrasing itself, that most likely just comes from regional dialects. English is a bizarre language, and is constantly evolving, which means that there are many different ways of speaking it. So while the way this person may have said that is different from what you may be used to, it is essence is the southern equivalent of a northern person saying "I dont owe you shit."

I see it as emphatic. I also tend to associate that style with people who have not gone to college.

[Saiwania]

It is incorrect grammar but easy enough to understand. Probably a local dialect. But it can broadly be interpreted as them saying: "Fuck you, I got mine!" It is a political sentiment that they oppose most if not all social or entitlement spending by the government and want low to non-existent taxes. Such people also generally oppose regulations and worship the interests of big business.

People in deeply red states are just more likely to not care about income inequality and favor more regressive economic policy.