Return-Path: <@FINHUTC.HUT.FI:LOJBAN@CUVMB.BITNET> Received: from FINHUTC.hut.fi by xiron.pc.helsinki.fi with smtp (Linux Smail3.1.28.1 #14) id m0pTese-0000Q9C; Tue, 8 Feb 94 00:56 EET Message-Id: Received: from FINHUTC.HUT.FI by FINHUTC.hut.fi (IBM VM SMTP V2R2) with BSMTP id 5780; Tue, 08 Feb 94 00:55:40 EET Received: from SEARN.SUNET.SE (NJE origin MAILER@SEARN) by FINHUTC.HUT.FI (LMail V1.1d/1.7f) with BSMTP id 5779; Tue, 8 Feb 1994 00:55:40 +0200 Received: from SEARN.SUNET.SE (NJE origin LISTSERV@SEARN) by SEARN.SUNET.SE (LMail V1.2a/1.8a) with BSMTP id 4992; Mon, 7 Feb 1994 23:54:51 +0100 Date: Mon, 7 Feb 1994 14:47:30 PST Reply-To: Mark A Biggar Sender: Lojban list From: Mark A Biggar Subject: Re: English usage To: Veijo Vilva Content-Length: 871 Lines: 19 >Hi all >Lojbab writes: >> My data is based on 75315 words of Lojban text (367K) compared to Cowan's >Am I one of the last of a vanishing breed that still believes that data' is >a plural word, or has usage overtaken (as in so many other cases). If that >is the case when can we expect to see 'datas', 'medias' and so on? >Yes I know I am nitpicking, it comes from have a series of pedants as >English teachers during my formative years. If you want to be pedantic then "data" is the plural and "datum" is the singular. But, there is a lot of common usage of the word "data" that treats it like a mass noun like "water". Notice that people tend to say "a piece of data" or "a record of data" and "The data is ..." not "The data are ...". As more and more poeple get into information processing I think that this trend will continue. -- Mark Biggar mab@wdl.loral.com