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From: rob@ptsfa.UUCP (Rob Bernardo)
Newsgroups: net.nlang
Subject: Re: "Data points"
Message-ID: <822@ptsfa.UUCP>
Date: Wed, 21-Aug-85 12:42:42 EDT
Article-I.D.: ptsfa.822
Posted: Wed Aug 21 12:42:42 1985
Date-Received: Sat, 24-Aug-85 18:08:02 EDT
References: <214@tekig4.UUCP> <330@faron.UUCP>
Reply-To: rob@ptsfa.UUCP (Rob Bernardo)
Organization: Pacific Bell, San Francisco
Lines: 29

In article <214@tekig4.UUCP> irenas@tekig4.UUCP (Irena Sifrar) writes:
>Every time I hear somebody say "a data point", something
>doesn't sound right.  I think that "a datum point" would
>in most cases be more correct.
>
In article <330@faron.UUCP> wdr@faron.UUCP (William D. Ricker) writes:
>Data (n.pl.) and  Datum (n.) are nouns, not adjectives.
>The American Heritage Dictionary has a usage note under Data (n.pl.)
>indicating that 50% of the usage panel accepts treating 'data' as a
>singular, apparently as a collective noun (as in a gaggle of geese,
>or a pride of lions).
>
>Data and datum are not adjectives.  Thus, it is either "a point of data,"
>or "a datum," not "a data point" [sic].

However, in English, nouns can be used attributively (adjectivally).
If we accept 'data' as a (syntactically) singular and (semantically) collective
noun, the expression 'a data point' should be as acceptable as 'a cattle ranch.'
-- 


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