At 1:42 PM -0500 3/19/02, Louis_Schmier wrote: >Paul, you've lost me. Bear with me. My statistics are rusty. Aside from >the fact that statistics, that is, quantification, are full of holes.
Is this supposed to mean something (other than 'when did you stop beating your wife?') >Isnt' every interview anecdotal, a piece of datum, Yes. >From Merriam-Webster's Online: 1."Something given or admitted especially as a basis for reasoning or inference 2 plural datums : something used as a basis for calculating or measuring usage" >the sum of which is the data? Not so simple. Again, from M-W: "1 : factual information (as measurements or statistics) used as a basis for reasoning, discussion, or calculation <the data is plentiful and easily available 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." Thus, a nonquantifiable observation might be termed a datum, but a number of them would probably _not_ constitute _data_ (unless you're recording nonquantifiable interviews ;-). * PAUL K. BRANDON [EMAIL PROTECTED] * * Psychology Dept Minnesota State University, Mankato * * 23 Armstrong Hall, Mankato, MN 56001 ph 507-389-6217 * * http://www.mankato.msus.edu/dept/psych/welcome.html * --- You are currently subscribed to tips as: [EMAIL PROTECTED] To unsubscribe send a blank email to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
