-n't

英語

詞源

not 的簡略形。

發音

• 國際音標^(幫助)：/ənt/, /nt/

後綴

1. 表否定。不再能產。

   do -> don't

   does -> doesn't

   is -> isn't

用法說明

• 此後綴只能添加在助動詞後，如 be。dare 和 need 在某些情況下也適用。某些英語方言中，並非所有助動詞都可加此後綴，如：mayn't 僅存在於特定方言中。
• 後綴化可導致詞形變化，如 shall + -n't -> shan't； am + -n't -> （通常為） aren't 或 ain't。這三個後綴化的例詞都是方言詞，可能在其他方言中不為使用。
• 雖然帶此後綴的詞被認為是原詞與副詞 not 的組合，從語法學上看卻不完全是這樣。例如，主謂倒置時，-n't 仍與動詞結合為同一詞，不同於拆開的 not。

  Isn't that difficult?　那不難嗎？

  Is that not difficult?　那還不難嗎？

• 語義上看，-n't 後綴化後的語義可能不完全與原語義單純的對立面（否定）等同。

  例：I can’t leave.（我不能走）是 I can leave.（我能走）的對立面，

  但：I shouldn’t leave.（我不該走 -> 我該留下）卻比 I should leave（我該走了）的對立面要語義狹窄。同樣的現象也見於漢語和英語的其他否定結構中。

派生詞

• 'tisn't, 'twasn't, 'tweren't, I'ven't, ain't, amn't, an't, aren't, bettern't, can't, couldn't, daren't, dasn't, dassn't, didn't, doesn't, don't, hadn't, hasn't, haven't, he'sn't, isn't, it'sn't, mayn't, mightn't, mustn't, needn't, oughtn't, sha'n't, shalln't, shan't, she'sn't, shouldn't, we'ven't, whyn't, willn't, wo'n't, won't, worn't, wouldn't