Ain't Nobody Better...

Can we talk about the double negative?

Maybe this is on my mind because- I'm not sure if you KNOW this, but as of April 18th 2025, when I wrote this blog, I was in the middle of writing what will be a best-selling wine book!

Of course you know it, it's the second thing out of my mouth after "I danced on stage with Prince* in 1991!"

(PS- at the end there's a footnote about Prince you need to know...)

Anyway, I digress this- the Double Negative (DN). Often when you hear it, it's NOT because the speaker is too ignorant to understand that the double negative is ACTUALLY a positive and absolutely horrendous grammar.

We are fully aware both of these facts. However, in the right context, the DN drives the speaker's point home in a colloquial and far stronger manner than using the kinder, gentler positive tense.

"You ain't NEVER lied!" is more emphatic than "You are telling the truth." The DN carries punch, inflection- FLAVOR. It's that extra dash of hot sauce on perfectly fried catfish that take it from yummy to DAYUM THAT'S GOOD!

"Can't nobody tell me NOTHIN' when I'm on my game!" is far more impactful than "Nobody can tell me anything when I'm in the zone. "

It shows emphasis. It adds humor. It's grammatical slang, not lack of book learnin'.

In short, respect one's ability to correctly use the DN as a colloquial extension of the English language for style and emphasis.

Do you use the DN in a thesis about climate change? NO. Do you say "Ain't nobody better than me" in your resume? NO. Ok, probably not.

But if you are rocking the stage, energizing a crowd, and want to drive a point home- it's a pause for applause moment! It's not even something you plan- it comes to you if it belongs to you.

PRO TIP: Everyone can't use the DN and still sound authentically like themselves. You sound like a fool trying to appropriate a vernacular that's NOT yours.

It's akin to when I said "no cap" or "dead ass" in 2020. I sounded as eye-rollingly idiotic to my son as my mother would have sounded to me if she said "like, totally RAD" in 1987.

If it ain't IN you, it's not FOR you, and that's OKAY! You won't catch me trying to use southern slang or California catchphrases because they aren't a part of my life experience or anything familiar that I have a connection with beyond hearing them on Netflix. Use that rule of thumb when deciding if the DN belongs in your communications, then can't nobody tell you nuthin'!

*About Prince, I recently realized that I always tell the story that I was on stage with Prince in 1991, but actually- I received my ticket in October 1991, I attended the concert in June 1992 at Olympiahalle in Munich. How do I know this?

Because on a whim, I looked up whether or not someone had recorded the concert and saw the actual date of His shows there. I am in the process of rewatching the entire bootleg recording of that concert to see if they ended up catching me on stage.

Please note that I will become absolutely unbearable if I actually find a clip of me dancing on stage with Prince. COMPLETELY. UNBEARABLE.

To connect with Renee about her book, marketing coaching, wine or Prince- reach out below!

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