Dead Ends text typo

Long-forgotten Seashell says: "But it was not always thus... Beneath the waves we knew only peace and plenty. We wanted for not, and yet craved more, that our progeny might someday flourish as we never could."

The text should read "We wanted for naught", not "We wanted for not".

It's actually linguistically correct, it's just an archaic way of speaking. Also in the context of the story it's describing a

completely alien world reconstructed by a familiar from 12000 years ago.

It's only natural that the language would be antiquated. So working as intended definetely.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Enkidoh

It's actually linguistically correct, it's just an archaic way of speaking.

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Neither "want for not" nor "want for naught" bring up any good search results. Most relevant partial match on Merriam-Webster is "want for nothing", and between the definitions of "not" and "naught", only "naught" can be used in place of "nothing".

I have to side with OP on this one. Do you have any citations that show "not" used archaically in place of "nothing"?

I see two ways to fix this:

• We wanted for naught - we lacked/needed nothing
• We wanted not - we did not lack/need

and of these two, I'd say "we wanted for naught" is the far more natural construct.

'Naught' in this context is common British English slang. Brits, especially those further north, use 'naught' all the time this way.

'I've done naught' = 'I've done nothing'
'I see naught' = 'I see nothing'
'I've got naught' = 'I have nothing'

and

'I want for naught' = 'I want nothing'. But, more accurately in this context and taking the slang meaning into account, 'I have everything I need; I don't need anything further.'

'I want for naught' is used more to indicate that one needs nothing further, rather than to actually indicate that one wants nothing further. Ironic, yeah? If a waiter or waitress came up to you in a restaurant, and asked if you needed anything further, "I want for naught" wouldn't be appropriate; it has a deeper connotation than one would use when indicating they don't want more fries (chips!) or that their soda doesn't need refilling. However, if someone was asking you about your life, "I want for naught" would be a clear indication that you have what you need to survive. If your "children want for naught," then they are well-taken-care-of and have both the emotional and material fulfillment they need in life.

My personal experience with this phrase? I've read it dozens or hundreds of times in British literature, whereas I've never read the sentence "want for not." In British movies or TV shows with subtitles, the phrase "want for naught," when spoken, is subtitled as "want for naught." (You might, on a rare occasion, see "nowt" as well; a more phonetic spelling of "naught" that properly matches a northern British accent. If you're American you're probably saying "naught" the same way you say "not" or the first part of "naughty," whereas in the north of England it's much closer to "nowt.")

Yes, here in the US we hardly ever use the word 'naught', but go somewhere like Manchester or Liverpool and it's used constantly.