You know how, sometimes, you just can’t find the right words to express yourself,
and the only way you can make your point is by using a simple, one-word reply?
It’s happened to me countless times. I’m usually in a hurry, trying to get somewhere
or do something. I don’t have time to faff around with a few words. I just want to
get the point across. I feel frustrated, like I’m not connecting with the person
reading my text. And then, sometimes, the one-word reply just pops into my head,
and it saves the day.
Enter the ‘no’ sign. It stands for ‘not understandable’, ‘undesirable’,
‘unwelcome’, ‘unacceptable’, and, well, you get the picture. In some languages,
such as French, it’s even used as a stand-in for the verb ‘to refuse’.
Why would someone write something like this? To refuse something is, of course,
unacceptable. However, there’s more to it than that. Sometimes, you want to represent
something more nuanced than just flat-out refusing something. To refuse, in other words,
can be a challenging and nuanced conversation. So if you want to write a character
that speaks with more than one word, the no sign is a great option. You can start by
exploring the various meanings of no.
A quick primer on the no sign
Let’s dive into the etymology of no. As the Oxford English Dictionary (O.E.D.) tells
us, the word originates from Latin. And that’s no surprise, considering that most of
us started our education with Latin, or Latin-based languages, such as French or
Italian. The Latin word ‘nōlō’ means ‘negative’. So it basically means ‘not’.
In the 14th century, the Latin meaning of ‘nōlō’ was brought to England by
William Shakespeare. In Twelfth Night, or What You Will, Act II, Scene I,
Shakespeare writes:
“What ho! My secret love, Julia.
“O my sweet Julia, what is’t that thou can’st not speak but thou must roar?
“Nōlō, my precious, my dearest love, and the sound of “No” is far more pleasant to my ear than the
high-pitched wail of “Woe” or “Ah!”.”
The O.E.D. also tells us that in modern-day English, ‘no’ often replaces longer
phrases when it comes to representing negation, for example, ‘it’s not possible’,
‘it’s not feasible’, and ‘it’s not fair’.
Defining the limits of ‘no’, and why you might want to avoid it
But why would you want to avoid writing a character that says no with one word? Well,
for one thing, it can be overused, especially in texts where the author tries to
sound ‘enigmatic’ or’mysterious’. In the case of A Game of Thrones, for example,
no signs litter the text. In fact, the very first word the reader sees is:
“Game.”
The implication being that the reader should be saying “no” to everything that comes
after. For a more nuanced use of the no sign in English literature, let’s look at
Shakespeare’s sonnet 18, for example:
“When shall we three meet again?
“In thunder, lightning, or in rain?
“When the thunderbolts are crashing and the earth is shaking?
“Not until then, dear friend.
“No” isn’t the only option, however. For a character who wants to refuse
something, or someone, there’s more than one word, and, arguably, more than one
sign, that they could choose. For example, the French language has the phrase ‘ça c’est
pas possible’, which literally translates to ‘that is not possible’. In English, this
could be expressed as ‘it’s not possible, Bob’. But if you want to get more subtle,
you could say ‘it’s not possible, Bob, for you to ask me that’. In this case, the
‘not’ would be slightly more nuanced, but still very clear. And that’s how you might want
to write the character of Bob, if you’re trying to represent someone who is unsure of
themselves, and doesn’t want to offend others by stating their preferences too
conclusively.
Sometimes, it’s not even about what you want. Sometimes, it’s about what is
appropriate, or acceptable. In The Great Gatsby, for example, Tom is surprised to
learn that Gatsby wants to dance with Daisy, as he is already engaged to marry
Catherine. So he replies, “Well, it’s very kind of you to offer, but I don’t think
that Gatz would care for anything so public.”
In this case, the so-called’moderation’ of ‘no’ can be a useful tool in
negotiation. It’s not always, however, about saying no to something,
and it can also be used to establish a counter-offer. In other words, instead of
saying no, you could say, ‘But I have something else in mind’. In this case, the
‘no’ can be a springboard for a new discussion. So, while it can often be
difficult to find the right word when you want to deny something, the no sign can
be a useful tool in these situations. Just make sure you know the various
meanings of no, and why you might want to avoid using them.
Why is ‘no’ such a difficult word to write?
To refuse, or to be unwilling to do something. Those are the only two
possibilities. But it’s not quite that simple. For a long time, ‘no’ was synonymous with
refusal in English, and that’s not wrong, per se, as much as it is incomplete. The
difficulty with ‘no’ is that there’s so much more to it than that. For centuries,
‘no’ was used to indicate that you are not interested, or that you do not agree.
In the 18th century, however, a new use for ‘no’ started appearing in print.
No longer was it used to indicate that you were ‘undecided’ or, as with Shakespeare’s
Julia, that you couldn’t find the right words to express yourself.
In the 1700s, George Orwell wrote:
“Refusal cannot always be expressed in words; sometimes it takes the form of
a gesture or a look. That is why it is so important to avoid all euphemisms and
expressions which leave any room for doubt. To say ‘I don’t like cucumbers’, for
example, is ambiguous. You might mean that you don’t like them as a vegetable, or
you might mean that you don’t want to marry someone whose face you can’t possibly
see, since the face is concealed by a layer of greenery.”
Orwell goes on to say:
“Some people consider it impolite to refuse to engage in discussion, at least
not in the course of a scientific investigation. Many religious people tend to
think that way. They believe that it is an act of worship to ask questions and
seek knowledge, and that God will reward those who are truly eager to learn.”
So, what is the proper way to reply to someone when they ask you to do
something? First, make sure that you understand what they’re asking for. If you’re
not sure, ask them to repeat the question, or to explain what they’re asking
for. If you still don’t understand, say so, and ask them to explain a little
more clearly. Sometimes, you might need to back down a little, and apologize for
not being able to do something that you know you could do, given the chance. But
it’s not polite to ask someone to repeat themselves, especially if you aren’t
actively listening, or if you aren’t sure that you heard them correctly. This kind of
behavior is seen as ‘difficult’ or ‘unpleasant’, and may actually discourage the person
you’re talking to, or worse, make them feel attacked or offended.