5 ms·

Please don't call them 'Legos'

17 points by xmjw 13y ago

cstavish 13y ago
As someone who spent a ludicrous amount of time during my childhood playing with Legos and always referring to them as such to friends and family, I really don't appreciate this "request". I'm quick to correct my ways when I realize that I've been mispronouncing or misusing a word, but when we're talking about a children's toy brand (however cool it may be), let's just all take it easy.
lmm 13y ago
I don't care about the trademarks, but as a Brit 'Legos' always sounds wrong, like "I'm playing with my sheeps".
- arethuza 13y ago
  On the other hand, don't we in the UK always talk about "maths" rather than "math".
  - nailer 13y ago
    That's a different matter: how does one contract a plural - but the plural is still the same: - Math is short for mathematics, not for mathematic, which isn't a word (try looking up 'mathematic' sometime). - Maths is also short for mathematics.
    - JonnieCache 13y ago
      The obvious comparison is to "physics" which is short for "physical sciences" IIRC. Was mathematics once referred to as "the mathematical arts" or something? (A similar way to appear very uncool is to walk into a record shop and proclaim, "look at all these vinyls!")
      - claudius 13y ago
        Cambridge University has a 'Centre for Mathematical Sciences', housing both the departments for pure and applied maths.
      - siddboots 13y ago
        It isn't "short for" anything. This is just a normal suffix for fields of study: Physics, mechanics, politics, statistics, optics, ethics, linguistics, and so on. Etymologically it is a plural suffix, but in modern English it is singular. http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/-ics http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/-ics
    - tolmasky 13y ago
      You're not contracting a plural. Mathematics is singular. "Mathematics IS a field of study", not "Mathematics are fields of studies". There aren't "3 mathematics". A history of math vs maths: http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=SbZCECvoaTA http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=SbZCECvoaTA
      - nailer 13y ago
        Etymologically mathematics is a plural, as another poster notes. There are many smaller topics involved in mathematics: geometry, trig, calculus, etc. Much in the same way as mechanics, optics, politics, acoustics, etc (as a different poster mentions).
    - groovy2shoes 13y ago
      "mathematic (n.) - late 14c. as singular noun, replaced by early 17c. by mathematics, from Latin mathematica (plural), from Greek mathematike tekhne "mathematical science," feminine singular of mathematikos (adj.) ..." http://etymonline.com/index.php?term=mathematic http://etymonline.com/index.php?term=mathematic
  - northernmonkey 13y ago
    'maths' is not plural, it's a contraction of 'mathematics'.
a-priori 13y ago
This may be a regional thing? I've always used "Lego" as a mass noun as in "I'm playing with Lego". The pluralization "Legos" sounds weird to me.
wil421 13y ago
I have never played with only one lego therefore I refer to them as legos because I play with more than one.
- nailer 13y ago
  Conversely: I have never fished for only one fish therefore I refer to them as 'fishes' because I fish for more than one.
  - wil421 13y ago
    Fish are not interlocking pieces that connect together to form larger objects.
    - nailer 13y ago
      Yes. That is correct.
    - aaronem 13y ago
      Except if your surname is 'Escher'.
- drcongo 13y ago
  But a single brick isn't called a lego, it's called a LEGO brick (or part). You have never played with one LEGO brick, you have played with LEGO bricks. Would you build a house out of house bricks or out of houses?
  - wil421 13y ago
    Ask any kid from age 4-10 if they have ever called legos "lego bricks"
icambron 13y ago
Trying to get people not to use the obvious plural is silly, but the insistance on all caps bothers me even more. It's right up there with Yahoo's exclamation mark. The convention is that everyone will call you, usually, by the name you choose, but demanding that other people use your preferred typographical novelty is lame.
leobelle 13y ago
The title for this link needs to be fixed. It's a question with some answers, and very few of the answers reflect the position stated in the title.
chrisseaton 13y ago
British people don't call them lego because of trademark issues, we call them that because we consider it to be a mass noun.
- a-priori 13y ago
  Canadians too. Not sure why.

17 points by xmjw 13y ago

As someone who spent a ludicrous amount of time during my childhood playing with Legos and always referring to them as such to friends and family, I really don't appreciate this "request". I'm quick to correct my ways when I realize that I've been mispronouncing or misusing a word, but when we're talking about a children's toy brand (however cool it may be), let's just all take it easy.

lmm 13y ago

I don't care about the trademarks, but as a Brit 'Legos' always sounds wrong, like "I'm playing with my sheeps".

arethuza 13y ago
On the other hand, don't we in the UK always talk about "maths" rather than "math".
- nailer 13y ago
  That's a different matter: how does one contract a plural - but the plural is still the same: - Math is short for mathematics, not for mathematic, which isn't a word (try looking up 'mathematic' sometime). - Maths is also short for mathematics.
  - JonnieCache 13y ago
    The obvious comparison is to "physics" which is short for "physical sciences" IIRC. Was mathematics once referred to as "the mathematical arts" or something? (A similar way to appear very uncool is to walk into a record shop and proclaim, "look at all these vinyls!")
    - claudius 13y ago
      Cambridge University has a 'Centre for Mathematical Sciences', housing both the departments for pure and applied maths.
    - siddboots 13y ago
      It isn't "short for" anything. This is just a normal suffix for fields of study: Physics, mechanics, politics, statistics, optics, ethics, linguistics, and so on. Etymologically it is a plural suffix, but in modern English it is singular. http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/-ics http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/-ics
  - tolmasky 13y ago
    You're not contracting a plural. Mathematics is singular. "Mathematics IS a field of study", not "Mathematics are fields of studies". There aren't "3 mathematics". A history of math vs maths: http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=SbZCECvoaTA http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=SbZCECvoaTA
    - nailer 13y ago
      Etymologically mathematics is a plural, as another poster notes. There are many smaller topics involved in mathematics: geometry, trig, calculus, etc. Much in the same way as mechanics, optics, politics, acoustics, etc (as a different poster mentions).
  - groovy2shoes 13y ago
    "mathematic (n.) - late 14c. as singular noun, replaced by early 17c. by mathematics, from Latin mathematica (plural), from Greek mathematike tekhne "mathematical science," feminine singular of mathematikos (adj.) ..." http://etymonline.com/index.php?term=mathematic http://etymonline.com/index.php?term=mathematic
- northernmonkey 13y ago
  'maths' is not plural, it's a contraction of 'mathematics'.

a-priori 13y ago

This may be a regional thing? I've always used "Lego" as a mass noun as in "I'm playing with Lego". The pluralization "Legos" sounds weird to me.

wil421 13y ago

I have never played with only one lego therefore I refer to them as legos because I play with more than one.

nailer 13y ago
Conversely: I have never fished for only one fish therefore I refer to them as 'fishes' because I fish for more than one.
- wil421 13y ago
  Fish are not interlocking pieces that connect together to form larger objects.
  - nailer 13y ago
    Yes. That is correct.
  - aaronem 13y ago
    Except if your surname is 'Escher'.
drcongo 13y ago
But a single brick isn't called a lego, it's called a LEGO brick (or part). You have never played with one LEGO brick, you have played with LEGO bricks. Would you build a house out of house bricks or out of houses?
- wil421 13y ago
  Ask any kid from age 4-10 if they have ever called legos "lego bricks"

icambron 13y ago

Trying to get people not to use the obvious plural is silly, but the insistance on all caps bothers me even more. It's right up there with Yahoo's exclamation mark. The convention is that everyone will call you, usually, by the name you choose, but demanding that other people use your preferred typographical novelty is lame.

leobelle 13y ago

The title for this link needs to be fixed. It's a question with some answers, and very few of the answers reflect the position stated in the title.

chrisseaton 13y ago

British people don't call them lego because of trademark issues, we call them that because we consider it to be a mass noun.

a-priori 13y ago
Canadians too. Not sure why.