"the news is"

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Mars80
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"the news is"

Postby Mars80 » 2016-05-25, 19:38

Why do we say "the news is" and not "the news are"? Doesn't the word "news" come from a shortening of "new things"? So why do we treat "news" like it's a singular?

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Re: "the news is"

Postby Dormouse559 » 2016-05-25, 20:17

"News" is really a plural form of the noun "new", meaning "new things". I don't know if there's a satisfying answer why it's treated as singular. I'd say it's been reanalyzed as an independent lexical item, rather than a declined form of "new", so that might have had something to do with it.
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Re: "the news is"

Postby Levike » 2016-05-25, 20:29

Because originally it did mean "new things" but now it got to the point where it became its own new noun.
news = showing events on Tv.

The same way you say "The United States is...".
Even though its States, now it has been reanalysed as its own separate entity, therefore one thing.

Just me opinion though.


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