<p>"Math." </p>
<p>Why don't the Americans spell it as "maths"? Sorry, I'm a British English user...teehee. I get ****ed off when I see maths spelled like that.</p>
<p>For the same reason Brits add an additional "u" in every other word.
Different culture, variant language.</p>
<p>Plus it helps promote Butter Battle-esque disagreements, which are always fun.</p>
<p>Since the Brits invented the language isn't that correct?</p>
<p>"maths" sounds stupid.</p>
<p>No language is "correct."</p>
<p>That's like saying the Spanish spoken in Mexico is wrong while the Spanish spoken in Spain is correct, or the French spoken in Morocco is wrong while the France's French is correct.</p>
<p>They're different cultures and have evolved their own variations of languages.</p>
<p>brits say "maths"? That sounds ridiculous. But there is no right way speak a language. And the Brits didn't "invent" english, it evolved from a anglo dialects from Roman soldiers and german settlers moving across the land.</p>
<p>I've seen arguments both ways, but I think it makes more sense to say 'math' instead of 'maths'. Essentially, math(s) is a single subject, so there's no reason to attach the 's' for plurality - the abbreviation fixes the error in plurality of the original word. Same thing happens when we use 'phys' for physics or 'civ' for civics/civilizations. </p>
<p>In my terribly humble opinion, I think British people who complain about it are a tad bit elitist, and Americans who use 'maths' are British wannabes. The obsession with the British in the academic community should really stop.</p>
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In my terribly humble opinion, I think British people who complain about it are a tad bit elitist, and Americans who use 'maths' are British wannabes.
[/quote]
'Ethnocentric' might be more precise than 'elitist,' but with that aside, I'm the other way around. What does that make me? An American wannabe? (I wouldn't mind...)</p>
<p>Blame Webster. When early Americans began to make the english language as spoken in the colonies more uniform, in spelling, usage, and pronunciation, we diverged from the British efforts to do the same on a few words. Being that both versions of english are "mutts", neither is correct. That being said, maths sounds ridiculous to me. I actually think the language should be simplified even further, to be truly phonetic.</p>
<p>"Maths" is too hard to say. And why should math have to be plural. Here in the United States, we're all about uniting everything under one roof. So a singular "math" shows the United States way of uniting all of the areas of mathematics under one name, "Math".</p>
<p>I think "maths" sounds absolutely ridiculous. Do brits say "sheeps"? or "pants's"? I'v always assumed it was one of those word that was the same in plural and singular tense. But math is a subject. A thing (singular), so "math" would seem more correct to me.</p>
<p>What's so bloody wrong with the Americanized way of speaking, bloke?
Never heard of it as "maths".</p>
<p>really. so "Physic" is a subject? :O</p>
<p>^ haha, good point.</p>
<p>really. so "Physic" is a subject? :O</p>
<p>The "s" in physics isn't a pluralizer though. You say "physics is a hard subject" rather than "physics are a hard subject."</p>
<p>You can't use that argument. "Chemistries" isn't even a word, let alone a subject.</p>
<p>The term "math" was actually around before "maths."
This is one case where America isn't responsible for making things confusing by changing concepts/words that have been long-established.</p>
<p>In Canada we call it math as well. Maths does sound dumb. If you're going to abbreviate something, you take the beginning of the word, as with math for mathematics.</p>
<p>I think that "math" makes more sense if your talking directly about the subject ("I'm great at math,") while "maths" is a good word for alluding to the subject ("The maths of this engineering problem are terribly confusing.")</p>
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The "s" in physics isn't a pluralizer though. You say "physics is a hard subject" rather than "physics are a hard subject."
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</p>
<p>Same for British English users. the "s" in "maths" isn't even a pluralizer either. the word at its most basic is "maths" - it's just what it is. it seems like a pluralizer to you guys only because your root word is "math" and you're so used to it.</p>