I know it's me just being a particular asshole, but I really don't like the pronunciation data... it's honestly tiresome, problematic, and outdated. It's pronounced DATA.
For his name I say data but when talking about data I say data but when I say database I say data and when I watch 1986’s Willow with Warwick Davis I say data
The first of two A's gets the "Aey" sound, the second gets the "Ah" sound.
Then, because I'm from California, the ah becomes uh.
Then, similarly, the "tuh" has a hard T at the beginning. But again because California/USA, the T becomes a D (British: butter ("buttah", hard t's), usa: budder(soft t's or d's))
I've taught statistics for over 20 years. I flipflop on this constantly, sometimes in the middle of a sentence. Even more disturbing: I don't have a consistent position, at least grammatically, on whether it's singular or plural.
edit: On further thought, it only works both ways as a synonym for a highway, if I'm talking about a path more generally the root pronunciation sounds wrong.
American here, I can't speak for Canada, but I don't think I've ever heard any Americans in the US in real conversations say it differently than it is in Star Trek.
I've lived in nearly every major region of the US, so if there's a place where they still pronounce it like "dah-ta" it must be a very small regional thing. Normal working class people having actual conversions everywhere I've ever been say "day-ta".
I've read before that Patrick Stewart is the reason for that changing, but I don't know if that's true. Seems like an outsized influence for one guy to have on culture, but maybe!
Interesting. From some googling it looks like America is a mix of both but leaning towards day-ta, whereas the other countries are more consistently as I said.
I have a British friend who now lives in Canada and works in tech and has changed the way he says it (from day-ta to dah-ta, or really more like dah-da) for convenience. I had thought that it was an Atlantic divide but seems like there's more to it.
American with an accent that is functionally General American here: it's day-duh, the t gets flapped. Dah-ta sounds very off to my ears, if anywhere in the US pronounces it that way, it's probably one of the weirder accents from the northeast.
Depends on the language I’m speaking, but I usually say da-ta, because data is a Portuguese word for date, and when I switch to English and keep the Portuguese pronunciation (and sometimes I even mix up both words but that’s another story)
61 Comments
Etterra@discuss.online · 44 pts · 1y
SonicBlue03@sh.itjust.works · 43 pts · 1y
I pronounce it data. Guess I thought everyone did.
AuroraGlamour@lemmy.ml · 11 pts · 1y
Same
ettyblatant@lemmy.world · 4 pts · 1y
I know it's me just being a particular asshole, but I really don't like the pronunciation data... it's honestly tiresome, problematic, and outdated. It's pronounced DATA.
deranger@sh.itjust.works · 20 pts · 1y
I vacillate between the two. Really depends on the words surrounding “data”.
deadcatbounce@reddthat.com · 13 pts · 1y
Yes. I'm British.
SouthEndSunset@lemm.ee · 2 pts · 1y
Exactly what I was gonna say.
criitz@reddthat.com · 13 pts · 1y
I only say data the way it's said in Star Trek. Same for database.
Jerb322@lemmy.world · 12 pts · 1y
A local radio DJ said once that if he's feeling fancy he says "Da Ta" like "ta-da!" Cracked me up way more that it should have.
Corno@lemm.ee · 11 pts · 1y
I alternate between the two pronunciations depending on whatever I vibe with at the time, much like with how I spell colour/color
2ugly2live@lemmy.world · 10 pts · 1y
I do, but that's because "now these points of data make a beautiful line, and we're out of beta, we're releasing on time."
Liberteez@lemm.ee · 2 pts · 1y
If anyone would know how to pronounce it, it's a computer
jsomae@lemmy.ml · 9 pts · 1y
I pronounce it like that, but I call the character "dah-ta"
0x0@lemmy.dbzer0.com · 10 pts · 1y
One is his name, the other is not
jsomae@lemmy.ml · 4 pts · 1y
I know it's wrong, but it's ok right? 👉 👈
0x0@lemmy.dbzer0.com · 11 pts · 1y
If Data had feelings, he'd be very upset right now.
PunkRockSportsFan@fanaticus.social · 6 pts · 1y
For his name I say data but when talking about data I say data but when I say database I say data and when I watch 1986’s Willow with Warwick Davis I say data
shiny_idea@aussie.zone · 4 pts · 1y
What does Willow (1986) have to do with data? Isn't it, like, a sword-and-sorcery fantasy movie?
Oh I bet there's a character with a name that sounds like the word "data".
PunkRockSportsFan@fanaticus.social · 6 pts · 1y
You should probably watch willow. It’s not terrible. Val kilmer with a sword.
pwnicholson@lemmy.world · 2 pts · 1y
There's a kid who calls her father dada (dadda?...sp?) throughout the movie
AuroraGlamour@lemmy.ml · 4 pts · 1y
Oh same
ada@lemmy.blahaj.zone · 6 pts · 1y
I don’t know, because I have no idea how the Star Trek character says it…
AuroraGlamour@lemmy.ml · 7 pts · 1y
https://youtu.be/nqwx2XFb1fQ
AuroraGlamour@lemmy.ml · 4 pts · 1y
Day-ta
ada@lemmy.blahaj.zone · 3 pts · 1y
Nope. Definitely don't say it like that!
AuroraGlamour@lemmy.ml · 1 pts · 1y
Do you say it how the woman said it then?
ada@lemmy.blahaj.zone · 4 pts · 1y
Yep! Though now that I've seen that, I'll use Data's preferred pronunciation when talking about the character
AuroraGlamour@lemmy.ml · 2 pts · 1y
Data thanks you :) you are very respectful
SCmSTR@lemmy.blahaj.zone · 6 pts · 1y
American. Day-duh.
Data: First, the two A's/vowels:
The first of two A's gets the "Aey" sound, the second gets the "Ah" sound.
Then, because I'm from California, the ah becomes uh.
Then, similarly, the "tuh" has a hard T at the beginning. But again because California/USA, the T becomes a D (British: butter ("buttah", hard t's), usa: budder(soft t's or d's))
Thus: day-duh.
bobbyfiend@lemmy.ml · 5 pts · 1y
I've taught statistics for over 20 years. I flipflop on this constantly, sometimes in the middle of a sentence. Even more disturbing: I don't have a consistent position, at least grammatically, on whether it's singular or plural.
eRac@lemmings.world · 3 pts · 1y
It's sort of like the dual pronunciation of the word 'a' in English. While that has more distinct rules, it's still mostly which one feels nicer.
christian@lemmy.ml · 2 pts · 1y
Another one for me is "route".
edit: On further thought, it only works both ways as a synonym for a highway, if I'm talking about a path more generally the root pronunciation sounds wrong.
cyberpunk007@lemmy.ca · 4 pts · 1y
I use them interchangeably 🙈
communism@lemmy.ml · 4 pts · 1y
How else are you supposed to pronounce it?
then_three_more@lemmy.world · 2 pts · 1y
Dat a
executivechimp@discuss.tchncs.de · 2 pts · 1y
Brits pronounce it day-ta, Americans, Canadians and Australians pronounce it dah-ta. Data pronounces it Day-ta.
lukecooperatus@lemmy.ml · 4 pts · 1y
American here, I can't speak for Canada, but I don't think I've ever heard any Americans in the US in real conversations say it differently than it is in Star Trek.
I've lived in nearly every major region of the US, so if there's a place where they still pronounce it like "dah-ta" it must be a very small regional thing. Normal working class people having actual conversions everywhere I've ever been say "day-ta".
I've read before that Patrick Stewart is the reason for that changing, but I don't know if that's true. Seems like an outsized influence for one guy to have on culture, but maybe!
executivechimp@discuss.tchncs.de · 4 pts · 1y
Interesting. From some googling it looks like America is a mix of both but leaning towards day-ta, whereas the other countries are more consistently as I said.
I have a British friend who now lives in Canada and works in tech and has changed the way he says it (from day-ta to dah-ta, or really more like dah-da) for convenience. I had thought that it was an Atlantic divide but seems like there's more to it.
tleb@lemmy.ca · 2 pts · 1y
I'm a software developer in Canada. I've only ever heard "day ta"
frostycakes@lemmy.ml · 1 pts · 1y
American with an accent that is functionally General American here: it's day-duh, the t gets flapped. Dah-ta sounds very off to my ears, if anywhere in the US pronounces it that way, it's probably one of the weirder accents from the northeast.
PolandIsAStateOfMind@lemmy.ml · 3 pts · 1y
Yes, i watched TNG before (and during) i learned English
buffysummers@sh.itjust.works · 3 pts · 1y
It is pronounced /ˈdætə/.
meekah@lemmy.world · 4 pts · 1y
Dictionaries are descriptive, not prescriptive.
alexsystem@lemm.ee · 2 pts · 1y
One is my name, the other is not.
Zahille7@lemmy.world · 2 pts · 1y
Doita?
missandry351@lemmings.world · 2 pts · 1y
Depends on the language I’m speaking, but I usually say da-ta, because data is a Portuguese word for date, and when I switch to English and keep the Portuguese pronunciation (and sometimes I even mix up both words but that’s another story)
can@sh.itjust.works · 1 pts · 1y
Data, I think because of digimon
cypherpunks@lemmy.ml · 1 pts · 1y
As more data becomes available
Then we can start doing more with it
And as we do more with it
That that creates more data
ThirdConsul@lemmy.ml · 1 pts · 1y
I pronounce it ta da~! , jazz hands included
Nikls94@lemmy.world · 1 pts · 1y
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=5GqABNl26ZY&pp=0gcJCdgAo7VqN5tD
This is the way.
TheCelticPirate@lemmy.world · 1 pts · 1y
D@-a
drofenvy@lemmy.world · 1 pts · 1y
I pronounce it the correct way: dah-tah
executivechimp@discuss.tchncs.de · 3 pts · 1y
That is incorrect
H4CK3RN4M3D4N63R570RM@lemmy.ca · 3 pts · 1y
how do you pronounce database?
LowtierComputer@lemmy.world · 2 pts · 1y
Dah-tah-bah-seh
Oberyn@lemmy.world · 1 pts · 1y
If you mean like "Dei-tuh" , then yah . Just sounds more natural to me
haych@feddit.uk · 1 pts · 1y
Yes, I'm from the UK and that's just how it's said here.
amphy@lemmy.ca · -3 pts · 1y
My approach: A single data point is "dah-ta" Some quantity of data is "day-ta"
For example: "I back up my game's save dah-ta in case my hard drive's day-ta gets corrupted"
colourlessidea@sopuli.xyz · 9 pts · 1y
The singular of data is datum though?
wewbull@feddit.uk · 2 pts · 1y
Yes you're right, but then you get into the argument
I'm camp one because I treat data as a collective noun of data-items, not as a plural of datum.
colourlessidea@sopuli.xyz · 2 pts · 1y
Fair enough - I’d also go with ‘the data is corrupt’ so looks like I must eat my own words!
basementdweller@thelemmy.club · -4 pts · 1y