Newsgroup: it.cultura.linguistica.inglese
Titolo: I think not

Some years ago, when I was still in high school, I happened to use this 
expression in an English test, much to my teacher's disappointment...
"Hmmm, I think not..."
"What did you say?! 'I think not'?! Non si dice! That's not English!"
I tried to explain that was a phrase I had heard in real English, but 
objections were useless: according to her, the only correct way to express 
that concept was "I don't think so".
Only years later, while having a glance to a grammar, I ran up against a 
passage which allowed the use of the negation 'not' after verbs like 'think' 
and 'hope'.
Now, some search around in the Internet suggests that there is a little 
difference in meaning between "I don't think so" and "I think not", that is:
- when you say "I don't think so", you just inform the person you're talking 
to that you don't agree with him
- when you say "I think not", you boldly suggest that not only you don't 
agree with him, but that you're even sure you can prove you're right and he 
is wrong.
I'd like to ask you if you can see this subtle difference in meaning, or you 
think somebody made up the whole thing.
Regards.
--
Xelloss 

 and 'hope'.
"I think not" is fine. It turns up in "Watership Down": Hazel and the
cat
both say "Can you run? I think not."
Don't say it to mean "I don't think", though.

both say "Can you run? I think not."
You sure this doesn't serve a different purpose in the book
(marvellous book by the way: all ye who haven't read it yet, do so,
NOW. The Italian translation is beautiful, too)? In Watership Down,
the rabbits are the only ones who speak correct English, whereas all
other animals, and hrair especially, are portrayed as speaking poor
and/or broken English, and for a good reason. In the case you mention,
don't you think Hazel (the first to speak the line) is trying to
communicate with the cat at an elementary level, and possibly make fun
of him? And that the cat, afterwards, is simply parroting (!) his
line? Just a thought.
Ciao, 
-- 
Isa
Work like you don't need money,
Love like you've never been hurt,
And dance like no one's watching
http://web.tiscali.it/alfabeto_auschwitz/index.htm

 line? Just a thought.
"I don't think so" and "I think not" both sound fine to me, though I
agree that they would probably be used in slightly different
circumstances.

> Work like you don't need money
That's what many of my former employers seemed to think of me

 (marvellous book by the way: all ye who haven't read it yet, do so,
It's an ideal example of a book where looking up all the words you
don't
know is pointless. Assume it's some kind of plant: even if you looked
it up, you probably wouldn't have heard of it or know what it looked
like anyway.

E' invecchiato male, temo proprio.
Io non trovo. Una traduzione che ha trent'anni non può non
dimostrarli, ma se è bella rimane bella :-)
Ciao,


 dimostrarli, ma se è bella rimane bella :-)
no, io dicevo proprio del romanzo di richard adams.

no, io dicevo proprio del romanzo di richard adams.
Oh, che peccato. Io ne esco rinfrancata a ogni rilettura (ormai sono
quattro nell'arco di vent'anni, forse mi fermo). L'ho regalato
quest'estate, in inglese, a un'amica americana che l'aveva letto alle
scuole elementari e adesso ha passato la trentina, e l'ha trovato
molto piů bello di allora... mah. Secondo me č un libro
intramontabile, ma de gustibus...! :-)
