(slightly off topic) but we had a discussion about a kinder chocolate advert yesterday. The one where "Teddy is very very not very well" I was surprised at how it split the developers. My view was that a 'very' cancels out 'not very' leaving teddy 'very well'. The alternative view was each 'very' increments the 'not very' status.

I just thought I'd throw that out there for you all!

First world problems ;)

Did you have anyone agreeing with you? Very isn't a negative, so I don't see how it would cancel anything out (unlike, say "not not well")

My approach was like balancing an equation. Or if very is +1 and not very is -1. I know it's intended as 'not well' but it started as a dispute with my wife and I was intrigued to see how a logical developer mind would approach it

It's more of a multiplier.

Not is like *-1

Very is like *2

The main interesting thing about language is that

Very not well < not well < not very well

The placement (or lack of) the very denotes the severity of the word it is qualifying. So there's a doubling of the severity of the not, but also a reduction of the severity of the wellness. I'm not sure the best way to model this mathematically.

Christine, that is a fantastic answer​! I'll share that with the guys tomorrow!

Maybe, the last "very" is, due to it's context, not completely the same as the other 2 "very"'s? It part of the common expression "very well", where the other 2 work as multiplicators

I think it translates as
very(very(!very(well)!
But anyway I'm just commenting to read more nerdy interpretations 😄