4mo ago

The Singular of Data is Data

The singular of data in Latin is datum, but in English it's data. It is a mass noun where it's not easy to break it into individual, countable pieces. Something like sand is almost never represented in ite plural form of sands.

18 comments

It's become a mass noun, but only thanks to years of people using it wrongly. It was originally very much the plural of datum
- Nice story bro.
Grain of sand
Data point
- Grains of sand.
  This is exactly how mass nouns work.
  A lot of mass nouns have specific words for when you want to separate them, like “slices” or “loaves” for bread or “grains” for sand, salt, wheat, and rice.
Next you'll tell me media isn't the plural of medium.
- And the plural of antenna is antennas! 🤯
  
  I think that only applies to RF antennas, as opposed to animals' antennae???
I think you're confusing this due to the common incorrect use of "that" in relation to data as if it's something singular, id est, "Could you please provide me that data?"
Technically this is grammatically incorrect (and yes before you ask, I say "those data"), but I've come to understand that people actually mean "data set" when they say this, and are just omitting that word from the sentence.
Since that is all that's needed to have everything correctly agree again, I can just fix it in my head when I hear it so that my brain doesn't explode.
- I really dont think I am. I really do think it's a mass noun.
  
  I really do think it’s a mass noun.
  I'm not sure why you think that. By definition (which you even gave in your original post) that would mean that data are something that can't be broken down into individual, countable units.
  But there is a smallest unit, which is called a bit. Data can be broken down into smaller, countable units. So the word doesn't fit the common definition of what a mass noun is.
The singular of bananae is bananum.
Yanks say mass noun and not uncountable noun?
To me, mass noun sounds more like a group noun, such as family or police - where they work as both singular and plural .
My family are hungry. My family is hungry.
- Brits who say "Microsoft are doing a thing" are poking knitting needles into my ears every time!
  It's not plural. Microsoft is a company. A. One!
  It doesn't matter that it's a company of individuals. Next your going to tell me my person is plural because I'm made from many cells. "CrayonRosary are mistaken about language!" No!
  Bonus: Math is singular, too, because mathematics is singular. It's not the plural of mathematic!
  We overthrew your rule specifically because of this one language issue!
  
  Created the time line specifically for Webster to frankenstein the language for sinister ends.
  I admire the gusto.
  But also:
- We don't call them group nouns either. We call then collective nouns.

18 comments