Agenda
Posted: Sat Sep 22, 2018 2:57 am
I got onto this one by wondering what the plural of the word is. Surely it is already a plural, I thought, and the singular is presumably agendum.
And if it is a plural already, it surely doesn't mean a list of things to discuss/do. It means rather 'things to discuss'. So 'an agenda' is not strictly correct or rather 'pure'. It is corrupted. An agendum is a thing to do. Agenda is lots of things to do
Any thoughts on this?
Having posted this I have just picked up an earlier discussion here on criterion/criteria although that doesn't fully answer the question here. Data and criteria are technically misused as singular but they are now acceptable - to some. But no-one says datas or criterias. But agendas is often used. "This man is running several agendas." Surely "...several agenda" is sweeter? Although perhaps no-one can have two agenda. It is merely a longer single list. Two people can have different agenda. But a single-issue politician perhaps has only an agendum?
And if it is a plural already, it surely doesn't mean a list of things to discuss/do. It means rather 'things to discuss'. So 'an agenda' is not strictly correct or rather 'pure'. It is corrupted. An agendum is a thing to do. Agenda is lots of things to do
Any thoughts on this?
Having posted this I have just picked up an earlier discussion here on criterion/criteria although that doesn't fully answer the question here. Data and criteria are technically misused as singular but they are now acceptable - to some. But no-one says datas or criterias. But agendas is often used. "This man is running several agendas." Surely "...several agenda" is sweeter? Although perhaps no-one can have two agenda. It is merely a longer single list. Two people can have different agenda. But a single-issue politician perhaps has only an agendum?