Why is "math" always pluralized in British English but singular in American English?


In the United Kingdom, I would study maths; but in the United States, I would study math. What gives?



Answer



There's a lot of debate about which is right (!), but not much about why there's a difference - good question.


I found this:



The word Mathematics was first used in English in 1581, coming from the Latin word Mathematica. Since the -a suffix in Latin denotes a plural, the word was automatically pluralised when translated to English, even though the word itself is always used as a singular.


The abbreviation "Math" came first. The first recorded usage is in 1891. The British abbreviation "Maths" is not recorded until 1911. Based on this it seems reasonable to assume that either both countries developed the abbreviation separately or the British picked up the American abbreviation but then chose to pluralise it.



Unfortunately this information is unattributed, but it's the only theory I can dig up. In full here: http://www.answerbag.com/q_view/15988#ixzz1DPW8I322


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