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05/31/2007 10:08:36 AM · #1 |
Prompted by the "silly math question" thread... i was wondering why Americans say "Math" and the British say "Maths"?
Obviously it is a contraction of the word "Mathematics" - which is actually singular... "Mathematics is a subject" not "Mathematics are a subject" - so i suppose the "Math" rather than "Maths" approach does bear some merit. But surely the contraction to maths is "Math's" as in "Hallowe'en" or "O'clock" and thus follows the same "singular with an 's'" approach as the original word?
Message edited by author 2007-05-31 10:09:21. |
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05/31/2007 10:17:18 AM · #2 |
I think "mathematics" is neither singular (you don't say "one mathematic", do you?) nor plural, but indefinite, like "wind" or "air" or "biology".
Nevertheless, I agree, that it should be spelled "Math's", maybe that was shortened again for convenience - but what do I know...
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05/31/2007 10:22:48 AM · #3 |
oh right - good point: it is an uncountable singular noun then (if i remember the technical terms rightly) ;)
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05/31/2007 10:40:36 AM · #4 |
Googling taught me this:
Steven Schwartzman has to say in his book, _The Words of Mathematics_
(Mathematical Association of America):
mathematics: Latin mathematica was a plural noun, which is why
mathematics has an -s at the end even though we use it as a singular
noun. Latin had taken the word from Greek mathematikos, which in turn
was based on mathesis. That word, which was also borrowed into English
but is now archaic, meant "mental discipline" or "learning,"
especially mathematical learning. The Indo-European root is mendh-
"to learn." Plato believed no one could be considered educated without
learning mathematics. A polymath is a person who has learned many
things, not just mathematics.
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