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Even in English, depending on who you talk to, "data" might be either count or mass. (I am solidly in the mass camp.)
by Twisol 3y ago
Even in English, depending on who you talk to, "data" might be either count or mass. (I am solidly in the mass camp.)
- gweinberg 3y agoIt's pretty clearly used as a mass noun. Nobody would ever say 3 data (as opposed to 3 data points). Maybe once data was the plural of datum, but today datum isn't even really a word. Nobody says "this datum", they say "this data point".
- deleted 3y ago[deleted]
- Twisol 3y agoUnfortunately, I have absolutely heard people say "this datum" and "these data" -- admittedly not "three data", but certainly in the style of a count noun, and not in the style of a mass noun. If they used it as a mass noun, they would say "this data", not "these data".
- travisjungroth 3y agoIf you need to take an interview to keep your unemployment checks coming, just treat it like a singular count. One mention of “datas” during a technical round and you’ll be on your way.