Re: Adopting a plural

Quoting Benct Philip Jonsson <bpj@...>:

> Andreas Johansson wrote:
> > Quoting Joe <joe@...>:
>
>
> >>>On theory of the origin of Swedish _dator_ "computer" is that it's a
> >>>singularized Swedish-style plural of _data_, used as a short form of
> >>>_datamaskin_ ("data machine"). Other sources claim it's from Latin _dator_
> >>>"giver" (of processed data, presumably).
> >>>
> >>>
> >>
> >>Well, since Norwegian for Computer is 'Datamaskin', the former would
> >>make sense to me.
> >
> >
> > In case it wasn't clear, _datamaskin_ used to be a normal word for the
> things.
> > Sounds decidedly archaic, these days, tho. I've actually heard _data_ for
> > "computer", too.
>
> I hate that!  _Data_ is what you process with the machine, while
> the machine itself is _dator_.  The latter is clearly a pseudo-
> latinism, tho obviously some people understand it as a plural
> of _data_. <sigh>
If it's any consolation, my compsci friends most comonly call the machine a
_burk_ (which word normally means "can" or "jar"). Fairly common is also
_maskin_ "machine". Cf, I guess, English "box" and "machine".

> And Taliesin answered Joe:
> >>Well, since Norwegian for Computer is 'Datamaskin', the former would
> >>> make sense to me.
> >
> >
> > Actually, a recent development is to call 'em just "data"... yech! That
> > is: m. sing. definite "dataen", I still haven't heard an indefinite or a
> > plural, but still..
>
> Typical of my countrymen to export their idiocies to our neighbors.
> No wonder we have a bad rep! <dbl sigh>
I thought that Swedish _data_ "computer" only existed in the singular, but
Google proves me wrong; some people obviously let it pluralize as _dator_;
definite form _datan_, pl _datorna_.

                                               Andreas