6 ms·

Is it a UK thing to add the "s" to math? I see it pretty often but it never seems right. I've always used the word as an unchanging irregular plural similar to

by dabber 9y ago

Is it a UK thing to add the "s" to math? I see it pretty often but it never seems right. I've always used the word as an unchanging irregular plural similar to "sheep".

messe 9y ago
UK, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand and almost all other English speaking countries except for the US and Canada, I believe.
- rhizome31 9y ago
  Same in French, eg. J'aime les maths
  - gordaco 9y ago
    And in Spanish, "Matemáticas". EDIT: also probably in a lot of European languages as well. I wonder to which extent this may be just a result of cultural exchange.
certifiedloud 9y ago
It's common in New Zealand as well.
- deleted 9y ago
  [deleted]
stablemap 9y ago
The original word has a plurality to it; I think it is we who did violence to "maths".
- awkwarddaturtle 9y ago
  No. Go watch the video Houshalter linked. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SbZCECvoaTA https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SbZCECvoaTA The sensible and correct shortening is math. That's how it was originally shortened to. The brits went off-kilter in the 1900s and added the s to math. Everyone, including brits, say mathematics IS difficult. Nobody says mathematics ARE difficult.
  - deleted 9y ago
    [deleted]
davnicwil 9y ago
Well, there's a certain logic to it: The long version of the word, Mathematics, is a regular plural. So is it so strange for the shortened version Maths to also be a regular plural? Edit: I was imprecise with my phrasing above, I really meant to say 'takes the form of (a regular plural)' instead of 'is' - I don't know if it is or is not technically a plural - the point was only that the shortened word 'Maths' follows the same form as the long version, which seems logically consistent.
- Houshalter 9y ago
  Is Mathematics plural? Would you say "Mathematics is cool", or "Mathematics are cool"?
  - TheOtherHobbes 9y ago
    It's a special case like physics, optics, dynamics, economics, and so on. The simple (linguistically obscure, but let's pretend) way to understand it is that there's an implied "the study of" before the word. So although you are studying multiple elements of a topic, the study itself is singular.
- awkwarddaturtle 9y ago
  It isn't a regular plural. What is a mathematic? Mathematic is not a noun. Mathematics is a mass noun like software or equipment.
Houshalter 9y ago
Numberphile has a good video on this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SbZCECvoaTA https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SbZCECvoaTA
- dabber 9y ago
  That's a great video and exactly the depth of answer I was hoping for. Thanks!
deleted 9y ago
[deleted]
deleted 9y ago
[deleted]
awkwarddaturtle 9y ago
I may be biased since I'm american but I always felt "maths" to be silly. The argument for "maths" is that mathematics is plural. But it is plural in the sense it is a "mass noun" like software or equipment. You wouldn't shorten software to "softe" or equipment to "equipe". Also, maths sound awkward and silly and went spoken pretty much similar to math.
- timthorn 9y ago
  > Also, maths sound awkward and silly Which, when in the UK, becomes: "Also, 'math' sounds awkward and silly"
  - awkwarddaturtle 9y ago
    > Which, when in the UK, becomes: "Also, 'math' sounds awkward and silly" But math came from england via the oxford dictionary. https://youtu.be/SbZCECvoaTA?t=50 https://youtu.be/SbZCECvoaTA?t=50 Try this. Do you say "maths are fun" or "maths is fun"? What about physics. Do you say physics is difficult? Or physics are difficult. Is it singular or plural?
    - sbmassey 9y ago
      It is uncountable. Nobody serious justifies 'maths' based on it being plural, it is just a different contraction of the word 'mathematics' than what you are used to.
      - awkwarddaturtle 9y ago
        > Nobody serious justifies 'maths' based on it being plural That's the only justification. What other justification is there? > it is just a different contraction of the word 'mathematics' than what you are used to. Yes. Because the british mistakenly assumed mathematics was a "regular plural". For what reason would you keep the s at the end? Do you shorten economics to econS or to econ? Do you takes ECONS 101? The explanation was given here. https://youtu.be/SbZCECvoaTA?t=50 https://youtu.be/SbZCECvoaTA?t=50 Why are you so resistant to FACTS and HISTORY? I don't get people who argue even after given evidence.
praneshp 9y ago
Since we are doing this, Maths is common in India as well. I'd never heard "Math' used in an Indian context.
- samgranieri 9y ago
  why not say "Mathematics"?
  - praneshp 9y ago
    Actually school time tables, college transcripts, etc all say Mathematics. Only everyday communication uses the shortened form.
deleted 9y ago
[deleted]

by dabber 9y ago

Is it a UK thing to add the "s" to math? I see it pretty often but it never seems right. I've always used the word as an unchanging irregular plural similar to "sheep".

messe 9y ago

UK, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand and almost all other English speaking countries except for the US and Canada, I believe.

rhizome31 9y ago
Same in French, eg. J'aime les maths
- gordaco 9y ago
  And in Spanish, "Matemáticas". EDIT: also probably in a lot of European languages as well. I wonder to which extent this may be just a result of cultural exchange.

certifiedloud 9y ago

It's common in New Zealand as well.

deleted 9y ago
[deleted]

stablemap 9y ago

The original word has a plurality to it; I think it is we who did violence to "maths".

awkwarddaturtle 9y ago
No. Go watch the video Houshalter linked. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SbZCECvoaTA https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SbZCECvoaTA The sensible and correct shortening is math. That's how it was originally shortened to. The brits went off-kilter in the 1900s and added the s to math. Everyone, including brits, say mathematics IS difficult. Nobody says mathematics ARE difficult.
- deleted 9y ago
  [deleted]

davnicwil 9y ago

Well, there's a certain logic to it: The long version of the word, Mathematics, is a regular plural. So is it so strange for the shortened version Maths to also be a regular plural? Edit: I was imprecise with my phrasing above, I really meant to say 'takes the form of (a regular plural)' instead of 'is' - I don't know if it is or is not technically a plural - the point was only that the shortened word 'Maths' follows the same form as the long version, which seems logically consistent.

Houshalter 9y ago
Is Mathematics plural? Would you say "Mathematics is cool", or "Mathematics are cool"?
- TheOtherHobbes 9y ago
  It's a special case like physics, optics, dynamics, economics, and so on. The simple (linguistically obscure, but let's pretend) way to understand it is that there's an implied "the study of" before the word. So although you are studying multiple elements of a topic, the study itself is singular.
awkwarddaturtle 9y ago
It isn't a regular plural. What is a mathematic? Mathematic is not a noun. Mathematics is a mass noun like software or equipment.

Houshalter 9y ago

Numberphile has a good video on this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SbZCECvoaTA https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SbZCECvoaTA

dabber 9y ago
That's a great video and exactly the depth of answer I was hoping for. Thanks!

deleted 9y ago

[deleted]

deleted 9y ago

[deleted]

awkwarddaturtle 9y ago

I may be biased since I'm american but I always felt "maths" to be silly. The argument for "maths" is that mathematics is plural. But it is plural in the sense it is a "mass noun" like software or equipment. You wouldn't shorten software to "softe" or equipment to "equipe". Also, maths sound awkward and silly and went spoken pretty much similar to math.

timthorn 9y ago
> Also, maths sound awkward and silly Which, when in the UK, becomes: "Also, 'math' sounds awkward and silly"
- awkwarddaturtle 9y ago
  > Which, when in the UK, becomes: "Also, 'math' sounds awkward and silly" But math came from england via the oxford dictionary. https://youtu.be/SbZCECvoaTA?t=50 https://youtu.be/SbZCECvoaTA?t=50 Try this. Do you say "maths are fun" or "maths is fun"? What about physics. Do you say physics is difficult? Or physics are difficult. Is it singular or plural?
  - sbmassey 9y ago
    It is uncountable. Nobody serious justifies 'maths' based on it being plural, it is just a different contraction of the word 'mathematics' than what you are used to.
    - awkwarddaturtle 9y ago
      > Nobody serious justifies 'maths' based on it being plural That's the only justification. What other justification is there? > it is just a different contraction of the word 'mathematics' than what you are used to. Yes. Because the british mistakenly assumed mathematics was a "regular plural". For what reason would you keep the s at the end? Do you shorten economics to econS or to econ? Do you takes ECONS 101? The explanation was given here. https://youtu.be/SbZCECvoaTA?t=50 https://youtu.be/SbZCECvoaTA?t=50 Why are you so resistant to FACTS and HISTORY? I don't get people who argue even after given evidence.

praneshp 9y ago

Since we are doing this, Maths is common in India as well. I'd never heard "Math' used in an Indian context.

samgranieri 9y ago
why not say "Mathematics"?
- praneshp 9y ago
  Actually school time tables, college transcripts, etc all say Mathematics. Only everyday communication uses the shortened form.

deleted 9y ago

[deleted]