"...don't need no.."??
I was listening to Boa-Energetic song and found this sentence in the lyric:
"I don't need no phone"
This sentence is similar to the lyric in the 2NE1-I'm Busy in CL part:
"They don't need no man to party"
As I know (according to mathematical logic), if negation meets negation, then the negation will disappear.
So, if "I don't need" meets "no", it should mean "I need"
However, from the song's context, I don't think they need it. I'm sure the sentence means that they don't need the things.
Because, for example, in the Boa-Energetic song, she is so energetic to dance so she doesn't have time to use phone.
My questions:
Why is "don't need no" used?
Why aren't "don't need any" or just "don't need" used?
What's the difference?
I'm confusing myself @_@ Please explain it clearly~
Sorry for my bad English. I hope you understand my point :)
Search from various English teachers...
Answers · 2
2
Your analysis is correct, technically "I don't need no phone." means "I need a phone.". However, every English speaker would know that the person is saying "I don't need a phone." and the other sentence means "They don't need a man to party.".
This is a common spoken usage of "no" and other negative terms. It is colloquial and deemed improper, but in the United States, it is used every day. And in songs and artistic writing it is very common. Perhaps the most famous musical occurence is the famous Rolling Stones hit "I Can't Get No Satisfaction"!
0
As Allen has expressed so well, the intent is clear of the speaker is clear, if grammatically incorrect. Of course, the Rolling Stones were before my time. It's art. Anything goes.
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