Datapoint Nicaraguan Creole English/Negative morpheme types

As in San Andres Creole English, neva is a past negator and at least in the basilect, it does not have the meaning ‘never’. However, the (present) negator no(u) is used at the expense of neva more frequently than in San Andres Creole English. The English-derived negations don, doun are quite frequent in spoken Nicaraguan Creole English. Ataal is used to emphasize negation as it is in San Andres Creole English.

Values

Negative particle

Example 11-306:
Iin di nait, nou kyier wat taim dei ded [...].
Iin
in
di
art.def
nait,
night
nou
neg
kyier
care
wat
what
taim
time
dei
3pl
ded
die
[...].
[...]
In the night, it doesn’t matter at what time they die [...].

Source: nd

Example 11-307:
Wi neva tek a kapi af da wan dat wi gi yu.
Wi
1pl
neva
neg.pst
tek
take
a
art.indf
kapi
copy
af
of
da
dem
wan
one
dat
rel
wi
1pl
gi
give
yu.
2sg
We did not take a copy of the one we gave you.

Source: nd

Example 11-308:
So di ting iz nat gud, nat gud ataal.
So
so
di
art.def
ting
thing
iz
cop.prs
nat
neg
gud,
good
nat
neg
gud
good
at-aal.
at-all
So the thing isn’t good, not good at all.

Source: nd

Example 11-309:
Wen Ai woz boi, Ai neva drink rom.
Wen
when
Ai
1sg
woz
cop.pst
boi,
boy
Ai
1sg
neva
neg.pst
drink
drink
rom.
rum
When I was a boy, I never drank rum.

Source: nd

Example 11-310:
Ai doun waahn dem tu nou.
Ai
1sg
doun
neg
waahn
want
dem
3pl
tu
to
nou.
know
I don’t want them to know.

Source: nd

Confidence:
Very certain