Newsgroup: it.cultura.linguistica.inglese
Titolo: Plurale

 sempre qualche altro inglese che gli fa notare l'errore.
Premessa.
Ho messo in crisi Giovanni anni fa e da allora mi ha definito ignorante 
ed immeritevole d'essere letto. Ma per chi mi vuol leggere, ecco qualche 
esempio che dimostra che l'affermazione di Giovanni è insensata.
     The danger is that data is shared with the wrong people.
Tratto da un autorevole quotidiano britannico "The Guardian".
L'articolo è di oggi e riguarda il database del servizio sanitario 
nazionale.
'Until the data is made more transparent and comprehensible it is a 
useless exercise,' says Deborah Doane, chair of the Core coalition.
Stesso quotidiano, sempre oggi, altri articoli precedenti...
One can say that this data is not the whole truth,
it is unclear whether the data is replicated elsewhere in the UK
The complaints data is a shock and is disturbing.
E siamo arrivati all'8 marzo.
Nello stesso periodo si trova un solo "data are":
Today's data are likely to put downward pressure on the UK stock market
Quindi The Guardian è scritto da ignoranti?
Con un qualsiasi motore di ricerca è possibile trovare "the data is" in 
numerosi siti di università, enti di ricerca eccetera.
-- 
____________________________________
Giancarlo Pillan  -  Ivrea  -  Italy
____________________________________

numerosi siti di università, enti di ricerca eccetera.
Data is e' piu' comune di data are anche se volendo essere precisi penso che si
dovrebbe dire "data are" dato che data e' il plurale di datum.  
Secondo il mio online WM si puo' usare sia con il verbo al plurale che al
singolare.  Leggi il numero 3 qui sotto:
:  
Main Entry: da·ta
Pronunciation: 'dA-t&, 'da- also 'dä-
Function: noun plural but singular or plural in construction
Usage:  often attributive 
Etymology: Latin, plural of datum
Date: 1646
1 : factual information (as measurements or statistics) used as a basis for
reasoning, discussion, or calculation <the data is plentiful and easily
available —H. A. Gleason, Jr.> <comprehensive data on economic growth have
been published —N. H. Jacoby> 
2 : information output by a sensing device or organ that includes both useful
and irrelevant or redundant information and must be processed to be meaningful 
3 : information in numerical form that can be digitally transmitted or
processed 
usage Data leads a life of its own quite independent of datum, of which it was
originally the plural. It occurs in two constructions: as a plural noun (like
earnings), taking a plural verb and plural modifiers (as these, many, a few)
but not cardinal numbers, and serving as a referent for plural pronouns (as
they, them); and as an abstract mass noun (like information), taking a singular
verb and singular modifiers (as this, much, little), and being referred to by a
singular pronoun (it). Both constructions are standard. The plural construction
is more common in print, evidently because the house style of several
publishers mandates it.
bye
Ari

 dovrebbe dire "data are" dato che data e' il plurale di datum.
According to the Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary, it's
data
(used as a plural noun in technical English, when the singular is
datum)
1. facts or information, especially when examined and used to find out
things or to make decisions 
"This data was collected from 69 countries."  
(technical) "These data show that most cancers are detected as a
result of clinical follow-up."
-- 
Nuovo indirizzo nel Reply-to

datum)
Interesting and makes sense.
By the way, I meant MW, not WM.  I have developed a touch of dyslexia in my old
age.
bye
Ari