Re: "write him" was Re: More questions

Quoting Stephen Mulraney <ataltanie@...>:

> Gary Shannon wrote:
>  > --- Stephen Mulraney <ataltanie@...> wrote:
>  >
>  > I've always wondered why folks in the UK choose to use
>  > the plural form of "math", when they take a "maths
>  > class" but yet don't go to "readings class" or
>  > "histories class" or "chemistries class".  What is the
>  > rule for deciding which school subject names are used
>  > in their plural form?
>
> "Maths" is short for "Mathematics", in which the Greek 3rd (*)
> declension nomimative ending _s_ is parsed as an English plural.
I seriously doubt that the Greek formation has anything to do with English
making this always-plural, especially since the Greek form would probably be _ta
maqhmatika_, with no /s/ at all. I would understand _maqhmatikos_ to mean
"mathematician".

The pluralization is just customary for fields of study ending in -ic (as
opposed to those ending in -logy). Mathematics, linguistics, economics, etc.


--
JS Bangs
jaspax@glossopoesis.org

"We're counting on our virtues
   Because it's too hard to count the dead."
     -Jason Webley

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