Thread: Grammatical Anomaly

If you pose a question to someone in the following manner:" Isn't it true that...?", most people would respond "yes" if they believed the questioner was posing a true statement. For example, "Isn't it true today is Monday?" would be answered "yes" if today was in fact Monday.
But if the question was phrased as: "Is it true today is Monday?, the answer would also be "yes".
So how is it that "is it not true?" and "is it true?" invite the same answer?

Isn't this weird...?

Isn't it true that...should be the question to make it grammatically correct..

Isn't it true = Is it not true = Is it false/wrong - Answer should be 'No,' otherwise it technically provides a different meaning to 'Is it true,' as yes to that is in agreement that the day is Monday, where in reality 'Isn't it true' is agreeing that it is not true that the day is Monday; indeed meaning that it can only be one of 6 other days!

But thats the way the world is. Many things are incorrect with todays English.

When I was little, I learned to answer that question with, "it is true" or "it is not true"

Because "yes, it is not" and "no, it is" confuse people

speaking of grahamer, ewe misspelt anomaly

edit: this kind of anomaly sounds like something a lawyer would use

It depends

It does seem strange to me. I'm not sure if it's a matter of common practice in culture or change meanings of words.

I can remember when I was young and traveling, a British fellow used the non-contracted version, saying "Is it not..." and I thought for a bit, said yes, than no, than just stated my thoughts in a full sentence. It really threw me for a loop, for exactly the reason in the first post.

Originally Posted by Scipio

Many things are incorrect with todays English.

today's English

Originally Posted by welshwizard

today's English

Or the American equivalent.

'Isn't it true' is not the same thing as 'Is it not true'.
It is the same thing as 'Is not it true' so the answer correctly is 'yes it is true'.

Originally Posted by xman

'Isn't it true' is not the same thing as 'Is it not true'.
It is the same thing as 'Is not it true' so the answer correctly is 'yes it is true'.

The contraction of "isn't" is "is not", right?

So "Isn't it true..." becomes "Is not it true..."


EDIT: I got befuddled there! Still, it is a negatively phrased question. "Is it true, it is Monday?" The answer is obviously "yes".

"Is not it true, today is Monday?" How do you answer that one???

Perhaps 'is it not/ isn't it' is more used rhetorically, than in conversation to ask a question. It is negative and to me it sounds more like a statement or remark than an actual question with an intended answer.

I can just imagine it being used in a courtroom being used rhetorically by a barrister to turn and twist things...