Have you noticed the way people are turning phrases around? Does it initially confuse you?

@chyna “For instance they will say “I’m not hating that” meaning I like that.”

That’s not a literal translation though. To not hate something doesn’t mean you like it, it could also mean you’re indifferent or only slightly dislike it. In fact, usually I see this phrase used to indicate a tepid approval.

You’re not wrong, @chyna.

Sick question, @chyna, I like it!

That’s true, @chyna. I sometimes have to think about it.

Another thing that is a way of talking that I don’t think has been around when I was little, is when people will say “he’s kissing on her” instead of saying “he’s kissing her” or if they say “she’s bragging on her daughter” instead of saying “she’s bragging about her daughter” or they say “she’s hugging on him” instead of saying “she’s hugging him.”

I don’t know if it started there but I remember Black people saying “that’s bad” for “that’s good.” On a slightly different tangent, I find it interesting that many young women today say they’re “on their period” while we older ones usually said “having our period.’

Kind of like folks in Boston area saying “Wicked Pissah” meaning it’s great?

I haven’t noticed it as a new thing, but certainly using a double negative runs more risk of being misunderstood. I am more likely to use “I am not hating that” when the other person in the conversation doesn’t like it and expects me to not like it also.

@janbb I have heard “on my period” and I didn’t know it was an age related thing, it sounds more like a less educated thing to me, but maybe you are right. Same with what @jca2 wrote using the word on. I wonder if it started as an English as a second language thing. Prepositions are usually very difficult from language to language. When I was a kid we said all sorts of stupid sounding stuff. Lol. Each generation has sayings like that I guess.

People here have always said “it’s not bad” meaning it is good or even very good. A big win on the lottery that gave you a few millions would still be a “no bad” win.