2 ms·
It'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 is
by gweinberg 4y ago
It'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 4y ago[deleted]
- Twisol 4y 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".