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

Can "dice" be used as singular? Does that sound too weird? I'm pretty 
sure I heard it in one of the last episodes of Skins.
 
Hmm...
 
-- 
Enrico il Pentolaio.
My blog: 
http://vousavezunaccent.blogspot.com/
 

 Hmm...
 
You will hear this in the UK but don't imitate it.

 sure I heard it in one of the last episodes of Skins.
 
It is singular, it's 'dicono' that's plural. Now if you are talking 
about the English word "dice" then you probably know the singular is 
"die." They are just typically found in pairs, so you don't hear 'die' 
very often, but it's the right thing to say.
 


According to this young woman blogging from New York, though, the usage has changed, at least among new generations.
 
QUOTE
The only times I have ever heard the word "die" to refer to one dice are from my mother, and from my primary school English teacher. Every person I ever hear always says, "give me a dice" if they want one, and "give me the dice" if they want two. I used to "correct" people to say "die" if they meant one, but that just makes me look overly pedantic and asinine.
 
So I have personally started using "dice" in the singular, and "dices" in the plural, which people understand, and a few of the priggish ones will try and correct.
 
And on that vein of thought, I thought, why not use "ox" and "oxes" instead of the stupid "oxen". Why is there such a strong pull to hold on to archaic constructs, which don't really add flavour to the language, and in fact, just make it more confusing?
UNQUOTE
 
http://english.stackexchange.com/questions/243/why-do-some-people-pedantically-cling-to-dying-word-forms-e-g-die-oxen
 

 You will hear this in the UK but don't imitate it.
 
All right. :)


 very often, but it's the right thing to say.
 
I didn't bookmark the link, but this morning I found this page where 
basically american speakers agree with you, while brits were saying that 
they wouldn't expect anybody to use the proper singular form.
 
-- 
Enrico il Pentolaio.

 they wouldn't expect anybody to use the proper singular form.
 
I would expect printed game rules and mathematics textbooks to say
"die",
and I would be more than a little surprised to hear anyone at the
Gathering
for Gardner or any other  mathematical event say "a dice".
I _have_ seen "a dice" in an article written by a mathematician for a
general audience
but my suspicion is that he was deliberately slumming it, like someone
deliberately
saying "Se c'ero, te lo dicevo" to try to seem like regular folk.
 
Even if talking to an audience of people likely to say "a dice" I
would still
say "a die" myself. I wouldn't say "Yo!" or "Wassup, dude" either as
they would
also just not be me.
 
You (Enrico) probably don't want to "correct" native speakers who say
"a dice",
but assuming saying "a die" is consistent with other register choices
you make, I think it's reasonable even in the UK. I find it hard to
imagine
you will find yourself in a situation where saying "a die" will put
you at risk
of anything worse than sounding a little formal.
 

sure I heard it in one of the last episodes of Skins.
 
L'ho trovato in una canzone degli ABBA, The winner takes it all.
 
"The gods may throw a dice".
 
 
-- 
Ci sono 10 tipi di persone al mondo: quelle che capiscono il sistema binario
e quelle che non lo capiscono.


Beh, gli Abba sono svedesi!
 
Piuttosto mi chiedo: quelli che dicono "a dice", poi formano il plurale "dices"? :D

 Piuttosto mi chiedo: quelli che dicono "a dice", poi formano il plurale "dices"? :D
 
No. One dice, two dice, ecc.

 more confusing? UNQUOTE
 
 
Does she use the flavorous "foots" or the archaic "feet"?
 
 
-- 
Two signs from a Majorcan shop entrance:
-English well talking.
-Here speeching American.
 

 -Here speeching American.
 
Well, they just "speech" American, not "rite" it! :DDD

 louse-lice, mouse-mice.
 
So shouldn't the singular of "dice" be "douse"?
 
-- 
Joey from New York
Among those whom I like or admire, I can find no common denominator,
but among those whom I love, I can: all of them make me laugh.
   -- WH Auden
 

 So shouldn't the singular of "dice" be "douse"?
 
I guess that's a different story :)
 
BTW, I gather the plural "dies" (not "dice") is used for molding dies.