Negation in Bulgarian

This article offers an overview of negation strategies in Bulgarian. The language follows several wide-spread cross-linguistic trends: its most general Standard Negation marker is a pre-verbal particle; there are several dedicated encodings of the prohibitive; negative indefinite pronouns are abundantly used with predicate negation. In terms of symmetric or asymmetric relations between affirmative and negative statements, we observe symmetric negation in predications set in present and past tense as well as in hortatives. However, there is a constructional asymmetry between affirmative and negated predications in the future tense. In this connection, we should highlight the fact that negation encoded by a complex compound predicate is, in fact, commonly used in Bulgarian. Such encoding includes indicative predications set in the future as well as several variants of the prohibitive. The negative lexicalizations identified in the language fall into known cross-linguistic tendencies, namely lexicalizing of expressions for nonexistence, lack of ability and lack of knowledge. Bulgarian features special emphatic negators  nito...nito or ni...ni which also function as coordinative negators; this trait has been shown to be typologically less common and also contingent on areal distribution. Another characteristic that is perhaps typologically less common is the presence of a special negative question particle nima.