A
double negative is a grammatical construction occurring when two forms of
negation are used in the same sentence.
Multiple negation is the more general term referring to the occurrence of more than one negative in a
clause. In some languages, double negatives cancel one another and produce an affirmative; in other languages, doubled negatives intensify the negation. Languages where multiple negatives affirm each other are said to have
negative concord.
Portuguese,
English,
Persian,
Russian,
Spanish,
Neapolitan and
Italian are examples of negative-concord languages, while
Latin and
German do not have negative concord.