When Did "Data" Become Singular?
When Did "Data" Become Singular?
#1When Did "Data" Become Singular?
Posted: 4/16/12 at 9:56pm
This one is for the grammarians on here.
Some 30 yrs ago, many in engineering & computer science were taught that "datum" was singular and that "data" was plural. Now a days, I routinely come across passages like "the data is stored in ..." in print. I usually write "the data set is..." to avoid a slip-up.
Perhaps I'm splitting hairs here but I thought the forum/fora rule applied to datum/data, akin to criterion/criteria.
#FactsMatter...your feelings not so much.
Gothampc
Broadway Legend Joined: 5/20/03
#2When Did
Posted: 4/16/12 at 10:36pmWhen I was in grad school, I took a statistics course and we used datum. But I actually thought the word always sounded like a laxative.
If anyone ever tells you that you put too much Parmesan cheese on your pasta, stop talking to them. You don't need that kind of negativity in your life.
JbaraFan1
Broadway Legend Joined: 8/14/04
Videos