MovieChat Forums > Star Trek: The Next Generation (1987) Discussion > Did Star Trek: The Next Generation's Pat...

Did Star Trek: The Next Generation's Patrick Stewart influence the way we say "data"?

posted 5 years ago by TMC-4 (19386)
16 replies | jump to latest

https://gizmodo.com/patrick-stewart-might-be-responsible-for-how-we-all-say-1837242931

There are two ways of saying data: with a hard "a" and a soft "a." Brent Spiner says he believes it was Stewart who popularized the hard "a" way because of the way he said his character Data's name during Star Trek: The Next Generation's first table read. Spiner says he and Stewart disagreed on the pronunciation. So Gene Rodenberry created a new rule for the show, on the spot, that whoever says a name first decides how it’s pronounced from then on. Stewart's pronunciation won out.

[–] Moonglum9 (10695) 5 years ago

He influenced how we say a lot of names on the show.

Dater
Jawdee
Woff
Numbah One
Doctah Crushah
and Queue

[–] [deleted] 5 years ago

[deleted]

[–] [deleted] 5 years ago

What the fuck is a "hard a" and a "soft a"?? Just go by pronunciation: "day-ta" and "dah-ta" - simples.

Thank God Stewart's pronunciation won out, because "day-ta" is the best way to say that word, and I CRINGE whenever I hear idiots say it the other way. And they ARE idiots. Yes they are. If it had gone the other way, I don't think I'd even be able to stomach TNG at all, just because of that.

[–] Kowalski (56932) 5 years ago

SKIP SECOND GRADE?

[–] [deleted] 4 years ago

You know not everyone around the globe is born into english. Yes?

[–] ultravioletx (10212) 5 years ago

I was taught long vowels and short vowels where "day-ta" is a long A and "dah-ta" is a short A.

[–] liscarkat (16434) 4 years ago

ultravioletx you have the correct terminology: long and short.

[–] [deleted] 4 years ago

Yeah, the expressions are "long and short," not "hard and soft." "Hard and soft" would be descriptors for consonants, not vowels.
"Day-ta" is also more consistent with the way Latin words are generally pronounced in English.

[–] Gd5150 (10979) 4 years ago

He definitely influenced the way we say “erngaege”, and “nombah wahn”.

[–] Moonglum9 (10695) 4 years ago

He pronounces it "Miss-tuh Day-ter". So when a word ends in an R, it becomes silent. But when a word ends in a vowel, they add an R sound. You kooky Britlanders!

[–] duckofprey (1533) 4 years ago

As far as where I work, for a plant in the planet’s 3rd largest defense contract I would say yes, he influenced it.

I am in many meeting most of which have several data presentations and it’s rarely NOT pronounced ‘day-ta’.

Even videos by the CEO etc say ‘day-ta’.

[–] huwdj (4562) 4 years ago

Little bemused that no one has observed Patrick Stewart's pronunciation is just the way (we) Brits do it.

[–] PaladinNJ (20307) 4 years ago

The first episode that introduced Dr. Pulaski had her get into an argument with Data over this very point.

[–] naDaht (1087) 4 years ago

One is a person, the other is information.

[–] Costumer (1783) 4 years ago

I find this topic interesting. I have learned to pronounce it as day-ta when I was in grade school, which would be in the 1960s. As I got older I learned that dah-ta was an alternate, and also correct, pronunciation, but that the former is more common than the latter. I'm sure there are sources that would say otherwise.