Notwithstanding isn’t a verb.

OP Tipping - 29 June 2010 06:36 AM

Notwithstanding isn’t a verb.

It is a verb form, derived from the verb to withstand, is it not?

Notwithstanding according to the OED is either a preposition, an adverb, a conjunction or, described as rare or obsolete, a noun derived from not+ the present participle of withstand.

It is a verb form, derived from the verb to withstand, is it not?

It is derived from the verb withstand, but it is not a verb form.

languagehat - 26 June 2010 02:45 PM

No, one would not [expect can not], because it is pronounced as one word.

It seems to me that the pronunciation is the only reason for writing it as one word.  The supposed ambiguity between “can not” (implying “has a choice") and “cannot” (implying “has no choice") looks like a red herring to me.  Otherwise we would write “couldnot”, since “could not” might be thought equally ambiguous.  The same applies to “may not”.

In terms of pronunciation, I think that what distinguishes “cannot” is the shortness of its syllables (short a, short o, and only a single consonant sound in between).

It happens more frequently in Scottish “canna, willna, dinna, didna, wouldna” - isn’t there a Scottish one-word form for “must not” as well?

(corrected typo

I would hazard that in written representations of Scottish speech, “cannae, willnae, didnae, wouldnae” may be slightly more prevalent. Theyre certainly more representative of the sharper sound of a Glasgow accent. Cannae and disnae are pronounced pretty much as “canny” and “Disney”.

I did a quick Google search for equivalent “must not” contractions and failed to find them. I suspect that usage might well favour “cannae” in that context, for example in the song “Ye cannae shove yer granny aff a bus”. (We’re getting into really high culture here!)

Dr Fortran - 31 January 2011 01:28 AM

Cannae and disnae are pronounced pretty much as “canny” and “Disney”.

Hence the old joke (which Dr F probably had in his mind): “What’s the difference between Bing Crosby and Walt Disney? Bing sings and Walt disnae …”

ANother joke based on Glaswegian pronunciation – Woman in cake shop: “Is that an eclair in the window, or a meringue?” Shop assistant: “No, you’re right, it’s an eclair.”

isn’t there a Scottish one-word form for “must not” as well?

I have encountered mauna in literary renditions of Scots dialect (e.g. in Sir Walter Scott), but have no idea if it is commonplace.

FWIW, If I had to read the phrase “can not” aloud, I would put a heavy stress on the “not”, and if I wrote it I’d intend the reader to do the same.