Staff = employee

[Benjamin Barrett]

The issue is collective noun usage versus countable. I should have put "collective noun" in the subject line :)

BB

On Nov 8, 2011, at 2:57 PM, Dan Goncharoff wrote:

> So what was your problem with the use of the word "staff" in the Wiki you
> linked to? Enumeration?
> DanG
>
>
> On Tue, Nov 8, 2011 at 5:30 PM, Benjamin Barrett <gogaku at ix.netcom.com>wrote:
>
>> My issue with staff is that it is (or was) always used to refer to a group
>> of people, not individuals.
>>
>> No problem with staff members being volunteer, employees, officers, etc.
>>
>> Benjamin Barrett
>> Seattle, WA
>>
>> On Nov 8, 2011, at 2:10 PM, Dan Goncharoff wrote:
>>
>>> I don't get your point. Do you think "staff" is an illegitimate word? I
>>> have always distinguished between employees and staff. For example, I
>> help
>>> out a non-profit (is that in OED as a noun) with no employees, but plenty
>>> of staff, all volunteers.
>>> DanG
>>>
>>>
>>> On Tue, Nov 8, 2011 at 5:02 PM, Benjamin Barrett <gogaku at ix.netcom.com
>>> wrote:
>>>
>>>> I have fought many battles with Japanese clients who want to talk about
>> =
>>>> their "staffs" (employees) as "sutafu" is a common Japanese word.
>> AFAIK, =
>>>> I have always won, but it is a losing battle.
>>>>
>>>> Today, Jimmy Wales' Wiki statement has the following =
>>>> (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:2011Appeal1):
>>>>
>>>> -----
>>>> Google might have close to a million servers. Yahoo has something like =
>>>> 13,000 staff. We have 400 servers and 73 staff.
>>>> -----
>>>>
>>>> Benjamin Barrett
>>>> Seattle, WA=

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