Data is or Data are?

Crystallas

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Yerp, old debate. I thought Oxford best settled this in the 80's.

Likely in the usage presented, data is considered a 'mass noun'. When used as a mass noun the data is bad can be correct if speaking vaguely or generally. The bulk usage of data is used as a mass noun and used as a generalization/third person. The data is bad. Otherwise if you are speaking about specific data, you wouldn't need to generalize by saying data in the first place.
 

Ares

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Yerp, old debate. I thought Oxford best settled this in the 80's.

Likely in the usage presented, data is considered a 'mass noun'. When used as a mass noun the data is bad can be correct if speaking vaguely or generally. The bulk usage of data is used as a mass noun and used as a generalization/third person. The data is bad. Otherwise if you are speaking about specific data, you wouldn't need to generalize by saying data in the first place.

I just find it off putting when intelligent people say to me:

"Where are the data? Are the data bad? If the data are going to be a problem...."

I feel like this has been an established linguistic evolution for a long time and then randomly I run into people who say "The data are bad!"

This thread delivered the pun funzies.
 

Crystallas

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I just find it off putting when intelligent people say to me:

"Where are the data? Are the data bad? If the data are going to be a problem...."

I feel like this has been an established linguistic evolution for a long time and then randomly I run into people who say "The data are bad!"

This thread delivered the pun funzies.

Lemme axe you dis. Data are bad for a reason, amiright? Maybe you be fix data, avoid data are bad all together??????
 

Ares

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Lemme axe you dis. Data are bad for a reason, amiright? Maybe you be fix data, avoid data are bad all together??????

Listen.

I tried hard, but the data are bad and there's no way to make sure the data are not bad.

Sometimes, when the data are really bad, I go get an expresso.

Irregardless, I could care less if the data are bad.
 

Xuder O'Clam

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Listen.

I tried hard, but the data are bad and there's no way to make sure the data are not bad.

Sometimes, when the data are really bad, I go get an expresso.

Irregardless, I could care less if the data are bad.

Well, nevermind moving to Canada. You will be too annoyed by the language.
 

Xuder O'Clam

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I'll just stay here and die, then.

:cry:

Well, to be fair, drunk Alberta girls usually say data is and data ain't. If they ever have a use for data that is. So, there's that.
 

MDB111™

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I just find it off putting when intelligent people say to me:

"Where are the data? Are the data bad? If the data are going to be a problem...."

I feel like this has been an established linguistic evolution for a long time and then randomly I run into people who say "The data are bad!"

This thread delivered the pun funzies.

Tell them to time the evolution of cyber grammar. Don't try and time it. Just throw all yer dater,datta,data at it at once!

god speed
 

airtime143

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I work with people who say "The data are bad".

I consider data to be akin to something like water... it is aggregated into a single mass, data IS.... data sets are.

You wouldn't say "This water are cold!"

"This data are bad!"... vs "This data is bad".

Does anyone else say "data are" and if so, care to explain?

Fuck them all up and say the data be bad.
 

Bearly

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are seems plural, and is seems singular
Datum is the Greek singular and not common the the English language where data takes both the singular and plural forms. A single piece of data is not a datum here. It is a data point. Both usages are OK but I clearly prefer is to are unless it's more than one data set as in, the data sets are and the data is.
 

botfly10

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I work with people who say "The data are bad".

I consider data to be akin to something like water... it is aggregated into a single mass, data IS.... data sets are.

You wouldn't say "This water are cold!"

"This data are bad!"... vs "This data is bad".

Does anyone else say "data are" and if so, care to explain?

this is old, but still gon post

data is plural. datum is singular.

correct grammar would be DATA ARE. in the scientific community, people used to be obsessive about this. it was like a badge, a way to spot poseurs. however, I have noticed in like maybe the last 5 years or so, people have stopped caring even in the scientific community and "data is" has been cropping up where it used to be forbidden. I have mixed feelings about the whole thing
 

Ares

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this is old, but still gon post

data is plural. datum is singular.

correct grammar would be DATA ARE. in the scientific community, people used to be obsessive about this. it was like a badge, a way to spot poseurs. however, I have noticed in like maybe the last 5 years or so, people have stopped caring even in the scientific community and "data is" has been cropping up where it used to be forbidden. I have mixed feelings about the whole thing

Data in the modern world is thought of in sets.

A set is singular.

The Data (set) is bad, or the Data (set) is good.

Language evolves...
 

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