Medias

[Wilson Gray]

On Sat, Jun 23, 2012 at 2:30 AM, Benjamin Barrett <gogaku at ix.netcom.com> wrote:
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> Sender: Â  Â  Â  American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> Poster: Â  Â  Â  Benjamin Barrett <gogaku at IX.NETCOM.COM>
> Subject: Â  Â  Â Medias
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> In ADS message #073073, =
> (http://listserv.linguistlist.org/cgi-bin/wa?A2=3Dind0708A&L=3DADS-L&P=3DR=
> 14944&I=3D-3&X=3D4BC3562B039B08F042&Y), Wilson Gray says:
>
> 'And, of course, there's "[medium,] media" > "mediae / medias."'
>
> Although I wasn't able to find any other e-mail in the archives that =
> mentions "medium/media," I thought that it had been discussed. Anyway, I =
> think Wilson's e-mail is saying that "medias" is the plural of =
> "medium/media."
>
> My general take on it is that "media" is usually a non-count noun, so =
> the plural does not normally occur. Like "English/Englishes" and =
> "tea/teas," though, "medias" should be producible by grammar in certain =
> situations to mean "type of media."
>
> Yesterday, talking to Bassem Youssef, Jon Stewart uses this form, =
> saying, "medias in our countries." It is at =
> http://www.thedailyshow.com/full-episodes/thu-june-21-2012-bassem-youssef =
> at 19:42.
>
> Benjamin Barrett
> Seattle, WA=
>
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> The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org

FWIW, _Medien_ as the plural of _Media_ has been used in German since
the '80's. Presumably, this is based on English _media_ being seen as
an English singular and not as the plural of New Latin _medium_. Of
course,

Youneverknow,

--
-Wilson
-----
All say, "How hard it is that we have to die!"---a strange complaint
to come from the mouths of people who have had to live.
-Mark Twain

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