Datapoint Nigerian Pidgin/The prohibitive

Negated forms both of the second person singular imperative construction as well as of the subjunctive construction are used to express the prohibitive.

Values

Normal imperative construction and normal negator

Example 17-82:
No go tawn.
No
neg.imp
go
go
tawn.
town
Don’t go to town. OR: You shouldn’t/mustn’t go to town.

Source: Faraclas 1996: 26

Example 17-83:
Mek yù go tawn.
Mek
sbjv
yù
2sg.sbj
go
go
tawn.
town
Go to town. OR: You should/must go to town.

Source: Faraclas 1996: 26

Example 17-84:
Mek yù no go tawn.
Mek
sbjv
yù
2sg.sbj
no
neg
go
go
tawn.
town
Don’t go to town. OR: You shouldn’t/mustn’t go to town.
Example 17-85:
Go tawn.
Go
go.imp
tawn.
town
Go to town!
Example 17-86:
Ìm no dè go tawn.
Ìm
3sg.sbj
no
neg
dè
ncompl
go
go
tawn.
town
S/he is not going to town.
Confidence:
Very certain