言え used both as negative and positive imperative

Question

In the following examples the same imperative form is used for two opposite meanings:

「ウンと言え！」 "say yes!" "agree!"
「バカを言え！」 "don't talk stupid!"

Clear from context, but I wonder what do Japanese people hear in their minds in the second case? Is it simple "バカを言えない"? Or is it unfinished clause, like "バカを言えば..." (something like "talk more stupid, then..."?

Negative concord in AAVE isn't illogical. It's just different. In many languages it's a standard feature. — , Sep 14 '15 at 08:10

score 1 · Accepted Answer · answered Sep 14 '15 at 13:24

1

It's definitely imperative and it sounds "Talk whatever stupid!".

answered Sep 14 '15 at 13:24

user4092

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言え used both as negative and positive imperative

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