Re: "Software" and its translations (was: A possible GFDL compromise: a proposal)
Branden Robinson <branden@debian.org> writes:
> On Mon, Sep 22, 2003 at 01:51:14PM +0200, Roland Mas wrote:
> > - "un logiciel" can even be used to mean "a software program", whereas
> > the phrase "a software" sounds awkward to me in English (but then
> > again, I'm not a native English speaker, and maybe "software" is a
> > countable noun -- can you say "two softwares"?).
>
> No. "Software" is a collective noun, like "information" or "stuff".
No, "software" is a mass noun, like "information" or "stuff".
A collective noun is a word like "committee", which is singular in
form but refers to a plurality of individuals. In some dialects
(notably in England) collective nouns get plural verbs.
Thomas
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