Why? Anomalies can be 'less' in magnitude or fewer in number, can't they ?
US Lamp
- Thread starter gerryb
- Start date
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No.
You don't think that a slight anomaly is less of an anomaly than is a massive one?
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It's the pronunciation of the first, not second "a" that varies/differs - is that what you're talking about (your comma seems to suggest not)?
To clarify, can I ask you the same question that I asked ebee ... when you pronounce "data", does it rhyme with "martyr" or with "later" (or neither !!)?
Yes - but you didn't write "A slight anomaly"; you wrote "anomalies".
Stop arguing; there is no doubt. You should know better.
I suggest you invest in a mirror
Quite apart from the matter of pronunciation, the word "data" has been a very contentious issue for me.
In my day job, I not uncommonly find myself writing/typing the word "data" a hundred or more times in one document. Despite repeated protestations that "I speak and write English, not Latin" for many years I have been forced (by peers, clients, reviewers, journal editors etc.) to treat it as plural - which, even after all the years, still 'sounds/looks wrong' to me every time I type or hear it.
... and there is inconsistency. If (somewhat sarcastically!) I type the word "datum" to refer to a single item (and treat it as singular) that is also seemingly 'not acceptable' - and, reversing the English/Latin distinction, many of them expect me to type "formulas" rather than "formulae" etc. It therefore seems that they don't really know whether they are speaking English or Latin
Use of the word "data" is often unavoidable in a lot of my writing but, whenever possible, I try to substitute "information" (or similar), since it seems that no-one requires me to treat that as plural
In my day job, I not uncommonly find myself writing/typing the word "data" a hundred or more times in one document. Despite repeated protestations that "I speak and write English, not Latin" for many years I have been forced (by peers, clients, reviewers, journal editors etc.) to treat it as plural - which, even after all the years, still 'sounds/looks wrong' to me every time I type or hear it.
... and there is inconsistency. If (somewhat sarcastically!) I type the word "datum" to refer to a single item (and treat it as singular) that is also seemingly 'not acceptable' - and, reversing the English/Latin distinction, many of them expect me to type "formulas" rather than "formulae" etc. It therefore seems that they don't really know whether they are speaking English or Latin
Use of the word "data" is often unavoidable in a lot of my writing but, whenever possible, I try to substitute "information" (or similar), since it seems that no-one requires me to treat that as plural
Martyr John, as in dah tah.
No I have never heard of pro data either but it sounds the same (example)
It's later for me but I regularly hear martyr, batter, da'ah and battah from people I deal with. Just like most other words it's a free for all. Overall I feel it's the first 'a' receiving the most variation.
But does it matter/matryr/m8ter/ma'er?
... as I've said, and me, and all the 'data people' with whom I interact - but it now seems that ebee probably regards that as the US pronunciation, which he seems to dislike and/or have a problem with
Yes, I sometimes hear all sorts of variants, but I virtually always understand what is being said ....
Not a jot. As I always say, all that matters to me about language is that it provides for clear and unambiguous communication - and any of the pronunciations of "data" achieve that
Yes I know I am in the minority, at school we were taught the proper way (it was a long time ago now) but then we get some great scifi american TV progs (program or programme - some benefit to us because we differentiate computer progs as the american spelling, so not all bad is it) . But the whole world has now got the habit of pronouncing it the american way. Stop, says I, is nothing sacred? LOL.Oh
I, and most of those I work with, must be 'American' then
Now I'm interested in how you pronounce "datum" - dah tum (although correct Latin pronunciation, I believe?), just sounds a bit wrong!
Hmmm. I'm not convinced that I have ever used, been taught to use or heard many UK people using the "dah", rather than the "day" first syllable of these words
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