ArcticDiver
Contributor
Not only are there no reliable data on divers there is no common definition of the term "diver". So, no definition and no data. Sounds like a fertile field for a dissertation with at least a 10 page bibliography.
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However, in common English, "data" can be used in the singular, and it is much more common than "datum." As the Merriam-Webster Dictionary says, "Data leads a life of its own quite independent of datum."
Examples from Dictionary.com: plural use--"These data are described more fully elsewhere"; singular use--"Not much data is available on flood control in Brazil." The site also states, "It is almost always treated as a plural in scientific and academic writing. In other types of writing it is either singular or plural. The singular datum meaning a piece of information is now rare in all types of writing."
Big red flag of illiteracy when you use it as if singular, which it is not.
Same story as with bacteria vs bacterium.
Tnx everyone for answers...I was afraid it was gonna come to a conclusion like this...I guess I'll just have to improvise...or maybe lower the area to my home country...
Tnx again for the answers
However, in common English, "data" can be used in the singular, and it is much more common than "datum." As the Merriam-Webster Dictionary says, "Data leads a life of its own quite independent of datum."
Examples from Dictionary.com: plural use--"These data are described more fully elsewhere"; singular use--"Not much data is available on flood control in Brazil." The site also states, "It is almost always treated as a plural in scientific and academic writing. In other types of writing it is either singular or plural. The singular datum meaning a piece of information is now rare in all types of writing."