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thewhitrbbit
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20 Oct 2012, 12:16 am

Since I've been reading WP, I've noticed something.

I've seen lots of AS people here refer to "math" as "maths" and "group works" instead of group work.

I'm wondering if this is a dialect thing or an AS/NT thing.

To me, saying "maths" or "group works" sounds weird,

For the record, I have a slight southern/mid-atlantic accent.



CyclopsSummers
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20 Oct 2012, 12:40 am

'Maths' appears to be the British abbreviation, and 'math' the American one.

(I'm a non-native English speaker who used to think that both were acceptable variants on either side of the Pond).

Can't help you on group works, though!


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TallyMan
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20 Oct 2012, 4:07 am

^ Yes. In the UK we always say and write maths; but I gather the Americans say and write math.


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Verdandi
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20 Oct 2012, 4:14 am

I'm in the US, but I like the sound of "maths" better.



naturalplastic
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20 Oct 2012, 7:11 am

Yes- its about geographic dialect- not about aspie vs nt.

In the USA- you can be good at, or bad at "math". But NEVER at "maths".

But you can excel (or not) at "mathematics".

"Maths" just sounds funny to American ears.

On one hand- I guess we americans think of "math" as being like "water" - or like "music"- a collective thing that comes en mass through a pipeline.

But we do say "mathematics" -always with an s at the end.
So go figure.

On the other hand - if you're gonna abbreviate- why leave the "s" on the end like the brits do?

So go figure.

Whats more interesting is a seemingly more fundamental split in the grammar in two kinds of English.

British sportcasters will say "the crowd ARE going wild!"- and newscasters will say "the government ARE doing such and such".

In America "the crowd" and "the governement" would be thought of as one entity and would be spoken of in the singular: "the crowd IS" or "the governement IS".



CyborgUprising
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20 Oct 2012, 10:47 am

naturalplastic wrote:
...In the USA- you can be good at, or bad at "math". But NEVER at "maths".

But you can excel (or not) at "mathematics".

"Maths" just sounds funny to American ears.

On one hand- I guess we americans think of "math" as being like "water" - or like "music"- a collective thing that comes en mass through a pipeline.

Whats more interesting is a seemingly more fundamental split in the grammar in two kinds of English.

In America "the crowd" and "the governement" would be thought of as one entity and would be spoken of in the singular: "the crowd IS" or "the governement IS".


Americans also plural the word "cannon" as "cannons," which is dead wrong. :roll:
I agree about their perception of mathematics and government as being a "collective entity." Even water is used in the plural form "waters" on nature programs or when referring to territorial boundaries among other themes.