-----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE----- Hash: SHA1 On 2014-05-20 12:03, Lisi Reisz wrote: > (Sorry, Ken. resending correctly to list.) > > On Tuesday 20 May 2014 16:00:42 Ken Heard wrote: >> Please note everybody that the word "data" is plural. The >> beginning of the last line quoted above should consequently read >> "all the scientific data *are* backed up." Other posts in this >> thread make the same error. The singular of data is datum. > > This is of course, gramatically correct. But I would argue that, > although in formal writing it should certainly be treated as a > plural, in colloquial speech it no longer is. I would also argue > that emails are colloquial speech not formal writing.
I would not consider my e-mails be colloquial speech. > This does not apply in the same way to all of your "group". Where > it is needful to have both a singular and a plural, as in > bacterium/bacteria and criterion/criteria it would be perverse to > make a plural by putting an s on the plural! (Though some people > do.) Some people however do use the word "medias". On the other hand does anyone use the word datas? If not, it is logical to conclude that they give word "data" a plural meaning. In that case, if it is the subject of a sentence or clause it should take the plural form of the verb. > Language changes, whether one wishes it or not. In most cases out of ignorance. > We no longer speak the English of Shakespeare or the King James' > Bible. I still sometimes catch myself using the present > subjunctive in speech. I do not think that I am correct to do so. > For this usage it is dead. Indeed, for all intents and purposes, > the imperfect subjunctive is dead. I use both the present and imperfect subjunctive all the time in speech, and even in e-mails. Regards, Ken -----BEGIN PGP SIGNATURE----- Version: GnuPG v1.4.10 (GNU/Linux) iEYEARECAAYFAlN7on0ACgkQlNlJzOkJmTfJCgCfQo9WIAD68DBmxaogC316JVMl vjQAnjH3MBA1wVCM5VxbAnuNU1NMBqNG =6Z6i -----END PGP SIGNATURE----- -- To UNSUBSCRIBE, email to debian-user-requ...@lists.debian.org with a subject of "unsubscribe". Trouble? Contact listmas...@lists.debian.org Archive: https://lists.debian.org/537ba27d.1000...@teksavvy.com
