Quote:
Originally Posted by Daithi
I think it's a combination of sloppiness and that some of us Americans get confused by the word "not".
I remember being a kid and getting in trouble (a common occurance) and my dad would say something like "You don't want a spanking do you?"
I was never sure how to answer that question. If I said "Yes" I was afraid he would think I wanted the spanking. I was pretty sure my dad wanted to hear me say "No," but even when I was 5 or 6 I knew something wasn't quite right.
|
What a great thread this is!
English speakers in China often carry over their response to questions from the Mandarin. If you ask them, "You don't want a spanking do you?", they will say "yes". Why? Because they are responding to the truth or falsity of the question, rather than the content of it. The response often turns out to be the opposite of what we expect and creates many misunderstandings. But it is great fun to try and teach them the other answer form.