Negating Nouns

[Forgedawn]

Do you mean that (in the book example) the thing is just not a book, or some sort of opposite?

I can see this mainly as an emphasis as has been said--much like in Russian using the genitive case when something isn't present.

Russian:
He wasn't there: On ne byl tam (He not was there)
He wasn't there [[He was absent from there]]: Evo ne bylo tam (There was not him)  

[TheFrogDaysAreOver]

@Forgedawn: 'lyshin' means 'an object that is not a book', What's the opposite of a book, anyway? confused  

[Henneth Annun]

The opposite of a book? confused

Digital information? *shrugs*

Film?  

[I Feel Toast]

A koob, obviously.  

[JeSuisMustapha]

Forgedawn

Do you mean that (in the book example) the thing is just not a book, or some sort of opposite?

I can see this mainly as an emphasis as has been said--much like in Russian using the genitive case when something isn't present.

Russian:
He wasn't there: On ne byl tam (He not was there)
He wasn't there [[He was absent from there]]: Evo ne bylo tam (There was not him)

Maybe I am slow, but I am not quite getting the emphasis... help?  

[Henneth Annun]

JeSuisMustapha

Forgedawn

Do you mean that (in the book example) the thing is just not a book, or some sort of opposite?

I can see this mainly as an emphasis as has been said--much like in Russian using the genitive case when something isn't present.

Russian:
He wasn't there: On ne byl tam (He not was there)
He wasn't there [[He was absent from there]]: Evo ne bylo tam (There was not him)

Maybe I am slow, but I am not quite getting the emphasis... help?

I think that he means this:

He wasn't there: meaning "he wasn't in that exact location but he was still there. Elvis was in the building but not in that room."

and

He wasn't there: meaning "he wasn't in the location at all, he wasn't even there at all. Elvis was not in the building at all."  

[JeSuisMustapha]

So in the latter, Elvis has left the building? (or quite possibly had never been there to begin with...)  

[Henneth Annun]

I just used the Elvis example since the phrase "Elvis has left the building" is quiet well known in the USA. *shrug*

The last sentance would mean that Elvis, or whoever our subject was, never was in the building at all at whatever time/situation we're talking about. It doesn't have to mean he left it or anything....

...although if you want to make a langauge that has emphasis for that, go ahead. smile  

[DavidGemmell]

I do like the idea XWraith_LordX was describing about negating different bits of the sentence for clarity.

Now I think about it, I think I was working out something a bit like that back before my old laptop broke down...  

[Lokaagali]

english negates nouns.
like non-smoker.
english negates adjectives.
like uninteresting, or dysfunctional.
it's very common in languages.