about the word data

Asked May 10 '14 at 00:06

Active May 10 '14 at 00:06

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I though it was British vs. American but watching Star Trek I've noticed the same character using two different pronunciations. Then I noticed other characters doing the same.

Is there any rule for using one or another?

I've searched online and found two definitions, one singular and another plural, both uncountable.

How can something uncountable be plural?

asked May 10 '14 at 00:06

NotGaeL

2

Oats is uncountable (mass) and also plural. Inflections are not meaning. – John Lawler May 10 '14 at 00:15
1

The fact that one of the Star Trek characters uses two different pronunciations is "interesting", but what does it have to do with the (duplicate) datum/data, singular/plural issue? – FumbleFingers May 10 '14 at 00:18
Data can be/is pronounced differently on different continents and all are correct. /ˈdeɪ tə/, /ˈdæt ə/, and /ˈdɑ tə/ are all correct. – anongoodnurse May 10 '14 at 00:23
The police are not countable, but they are plural. – tchrist May 10 '14 at 00:58
The "duplicate" question talks about the singular-plural issue. For information about the pronunciation, see the following question: Data pronunciation: “dayta” or “dahta”? – herisson Apr 27 '16 at 21:00

about the word data

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