Something will come of nothing: An empirical model of negation for prose literature1

Abstract

Summary One manner in which a writer involves the reader with a text is through the use of negative language. The reader becomes involved on two levels: firstly at a linguistic level, a negative message needs extra time to decode, and secondly, at an emotional level, we must come to terms with the emotional response the negative message has incurred. Therefore, explicitly negative language engages linguistic, psychological and cognitive processes, which force the reader to become involved with the text in question, as he attempts to decipher the underlying propositions. This study reviews previous research on negative language, both linguistic and psycholinguistic, defines explicit and broad negation and offers a method for measuring these forms of negation. This method is then applied to a representative corpus2 of the early prose fiction of Mudrooroo, a prominent Australian author. The results obtained show that he has shifted in style across his early prose fiction, with respect to negation. By examining the use of negation in Mudrooroo's novels we will see how integral a part it plays in the interaction between reader and text. Negation can bring to the fore that which may not be and as a result may give “nothing” an actual substance. This article will show how explicit and broad negatives are simple, separable elements that engender complex cognitive effects, and that they provide us with a means for isolating and studying one aspect of how a writer may influence a reader's mind.