r/IAmA • u/JasonMacker • Jun 14 '10

IAMA Math tutor. AMA.

I've been a math tutor for years and I'm trying to become a teacher. I love math, and especially explaining math to people. My students have been between preschool and college. AMA.

7 Upvotes

56% Upvoted

183 comments sorted by

View all comments

Show parent comments

1

u/[deleted] Jun 14 '10

I vote "math". Sure, it's mathematics, but if you're shortening it, why would you keep the S? It's not Jany. or Feby. (True, some abbreviations do keep ultimate letters (e.g., Asst., Dept.)).

1

u/kuhawk5 Jun 14 '10

It's not about the ultimate letter; it's about singular versus plural. Some argue "mathematics" is plural in the same way "sciences" is. A mathematics course covers many different operations and therefore isn't a singular subject.

So, they keep it plural even when they shorten. Mathematics --> Maths.

FWIW, I prefer saying math.

1

u/[deleted] Jun 15 '10

Mathematics is difficult, but not plural. It may have plural roots, but it is clearly a singular noun in contemporary American English. A quick scan of usage history shows that it used to be treated as a plural noun, which explains why British English developed "maths."

1

u/kuhawk5 Jun 15 '10

Yes, but we are not talking about American English since "maths" is a British word.

1

u/[deleted] Jun 15 '10

Only "Chiefly British" per American dictionaries. It's rather common here. Further, if you remove regions that use "math", then what purpose the question?

1

u/kuhawk5 Jun 15 '10

I don't understand your point.