American language.

[toonmal]

I know my friends over the pond use words like trunk/hood etc when talking about cars.
However, one word that I cannot understand being used, and it seems to be used more and more, watching American movies/tv shows, is the word 'Math'
If you do math(s), there must be at least 2 numbers, therefore making it plural i.e. maths. It would be a bit like saying your car registration has 3 'number' in it.
Just thought I'd mention it

 

[WildBill]

See I feel the opposite. I never understood maths.

A number is an object. 1, 2, and 3. I just typed 3 numbers. Plural.
I see "math" as a subject or process. If I do the math to add 1, 2, & 3 I get 6.
Are you suggesting that addition, subtraction, etc. are different maths?
So if i do the maths to add 1 & 2 then subtract 3 I get 0???

Maybe we can enlighten each other.

 

[toonmal]

Using English English, I have 2 bumpers on my car. Do you have 2 fender?

 

[Kato_the_kia_stinger]

As I understand it, we here say “Math,” as it is an abbreviation of the word Mathematics. We don’t oft pluralize our abbreviations. It is also a “mass noun,” which I don’t want to get into on here because I discuss it with my students all too much to feel the urge to discuss it here. When it comes down to it, these sort of slight differences are what make the world interesting. Let’s remember what we share rather than what sets us apart. We share the enjoyment of one dope ass vehicle.

 

[eflyguy]

It's got noting to do with plural vs. singular.

The word "mathematics" describes a particular branch of study, like "physics" or "electronics" or "performing arts" or "humanities" or "linguistics" - it just so happens that the word was abbreviated, and in different cultures, the way it was written differed by local custom.

You would never say "I'm going to take physics because they are my favorite subject" - but you COULD say "I'm going to take physics and math because those are my favorite subjects" - and that would be correct grammatically.


There is no right or wrong, no better or worse.

 

[Bear]

I’ll just leave this here... sushi

 

[toonmal]

I've Google(d) this, and it would appear that in the English speaking world, only the US and Canada use 'Math'...Just about sum(s) it up

 

[Ozstung]

I've Google(d) this, and it would appear that in the English speaking world, only the US and Canada use 'Math'...Just about sum(s) it up

Funny you should mention it. It's one of those things that puzzled me to. If you take Mathematics then its Maths. If you do Mathematic then it would be Math.
Physics isn't Physic. But I guess it's what you're used to. As a non North American it does always sound strange. I hope we haven't opened up Pandora's box here because I'm sure our Nth American friends could rightly strike back with the Potato/Tomato debate and probably win.

 

[Rango]

Pertaining more to this Stinger forum. Racecar spelled backwards is racecar!

 

[Kato_the_kia_stinger]

And if you would all just go back to the notes I had offered earlier, you’ll find the answer as to why the English spoken in North America has us teaching “math” and not “maths.”

 

[Ozstung]

And if you would all just go back to the notes I had offered earlier, you’ll find the answer as to why the English spoken in North America has us teaching “math” and not “maths.”

To me you've explained very little. All I read into it is 1. You don't want to elaborate.
2. You are a teacher so you must be right.

 

[Stinger GT SS]

AU English vs US English
Maccas/Mickey D’s
Colour/Color
Tyre/Tire
Petrol/Gas
Garbage/Trash
Jumper/Sweater
Lounge/Couch
Just some differences that make the world go round.......

 

[Kato_the_kia_stinger]

To me you've explained very little. All I read into it is 1. You don't want to elaborate.
2. You are a teacher so you must be right.

1. We don’t pluralize abbreviations here.

2. And you’ll also need to research “mass nouns.”

Class dismissed. Let’s talk about cars.

 

[MerlintheMad]

We all speak the "mother tongue". Some of us are just the part of the family that moved away and developed bad habits.

 

[jondyer]

How about a former colonial who has lived in the UK, Canada and now the Southern US?

I find that my speech, like my accent vary dependent on the audience. It is an offshoot from my stint as a flight instructor here in the US.

I got awfully tired of hearing <Southern Drawl>" Whadd yooooo say " </Southern Drawl> so I switched my speech patterns so as to be understood. But I admit that even after 30+ years in the US, I still find it odd to say ech - for "h" instead of hech and don't get me started on the all too rampant use of "zee"

"realise"

Sometimes I still pull hard left in an emergency traffic situation - some people just never learn I guess.

 

[toonmal]

Oh, and it's football, not soccer

 

[MerlintheMad]

American football is called "gridiron" in NZ.

 

[Banana_Thunder]

I see the word "math" as a generalization of several different processes such as summation of, difference of, product of, or division of.

You use the singular math to replace these phrases which are then appropriate in the singular context.

 

[robz32]

Oh, and it's football, not soccer

As someone who grew up most of his young adult life in another country and whose primary language is not english, that is something, that to this day, I still have some trouble understanding.

I don't understand why football is called soccer, when the rest of the world calls it the latter, and what it is called football here (in the US), it is mainly played with hands (like rugby), except for one part of the game in which they actually use their foot to kick the ball between two huge posts.

Also, recently I have started noticing more and more, when people speak and they are referring to something in plural, for example: they is playing very good. They are using a pronoun used to refer to two or more people with a singular verb.
When I was learning english, I remember they taught us that whenever we are referring to something in plural and we use the pronoun "they" the verb following it must be in plural, therefore making the sentence used on the example above "they are playing very good"

Am I not remembering my classes correctly and need to go back to my books? or is this what's known as a colloquialism?

 

[Banana_Thunder]

"they is playing very good" - That's just bad English like when people say "we was" or "I be like" and so on.