February 14, 2013 at 12:00 pm
Austin FraktIf you read this blog, you know where I stand on this important issue. According to Google, the good guys are still winning, but the trend is worrisome. I’m happy to see the ridiculous “health-care” falling away.
(Click to enlarge.)
Google’s stats don’t extend beyond 2008, so we’re missing the big health reform build up. The past may not be a perfect predictor of recent use.
by Sean M on February 14th, 2013 at 10:22
Hah, I appreciate the chart, but, really, what’s the difference between health care and healthcare?? It’s clear to what both are referring, and neither include the distracting and grammatically incorrect dash.
by jimbino on February 14th, 2013 at 10:45
The term is “health care” as in “Gummint supplied health care is not a human right.” The term is “healthcare” as in “Obamacare is a messed up healthcare policy.”
by Samantha Gluck on February 14th, 2013 at 11:11
As a health care journalist, I typically follow the AP Stylebook when referring to “health care”. In the guide, we are required to spell it as two separate words with NO hyphen and not as one word “healthcare”. It’s really just stylistic.
In college, however, we were taught that “healthcare” refers to what I receive from my physician and “health care” refers to the discipline or, possibly, the facility where the doc performs the services.
by Red Square Bear on February 15th, 2013 at 09:20
Obligatory:
http://www.theonion.com/articles/4-copy-editors-killed-in-ongoing-ap-style-chicago,30806/
by Marc Brown on February 14th, 2013 at 11:30
Ha ha. See my earlier comments at http://theincidentaleconomist.com/wordpress/testimony-on-the-medicaid-expansion/#comments
Now then, get your electronic pen out and see if you’d change any of these:
Baby sitting
Back bone
Cell phone
Child care
Cross walk
Earth quake
Fire works
Foot ball
Life time
Play thing
Scape goat
Voice mail
Web site
(That’s enough – ed.)
by Marc Brown on February 14th, 2013 at 11:43
Sorry the correct link to my other comments is:
http://theincidentaleconomist.com/wordpress/obama-didnt-say-nothing-on-health-care/#comments
by watermelonpunch on February 14th, 2013 at 13:08
“healthcare” more efficient when cramming thought into tweet.
“LOL”
https://twitter.com/watermelonpunch/status/302116844234489856
by V on February 14th, 2013 at 15:03
Publication word limits may contribute to this variation. “Healthcare” counts as 1 word vs. 2 words for “health care”. The hyphenation looks like obvious word limit doctoring.
by David J. Littleboy on February 14th, 2013 at 20:23
Ah, but as a translator, I get paid by the word, so I like “health care” better. As we translators say, IADOTC (it all depends on the context).
by Floccina on February 14th, 2013 at 15:15
I like “healthcare”. Let’s just call is a word and move in.
by BobbyG on February 14th, 2013 at 18:54
I’m new here. Interesting place. On the subject of pedantic picking of nits, data properly still “are” — at least in science. I’ve not read enough here yet to determine if you are misusing the word.
Cheers
by David J. Littleboy on February 15th, 2013 at 19:46
“At least in science”
Exactly.
But this is dependent on context as well: in computer science, data is singular. Period. Full stop. Always. It’s a mass noun. Obvously. I guess scientists see it as an abbreviation for “data values”. As someone with feet in all of humanities, science, and comp. sci., I find life very confusing. But comp. sci. being my first and true love, “the data are” grates something fierce. Sigh.
(FWIW, the Microsofts style manual quite correctly insists on singular always and only, wiki says “Data is most often used as a singular mass noun in educated everyday usage.”, but the IEEE computer society wimps out and says “Follow author preference for use as singular or plural, but maintain consistency within an article (unless context clearly demands inconsistency)”.)
by BobbyG on February 15th, 2013 at 22:42
Sorry, “data is” marks you as a Rube. I don’t care what Microsoft (or Fowler’s) says. Though, people like me (I cut my professional teeth in a forensic radlab in Oak Ridge) are mercifully dying off.
I once had this redneck Sup (PhD in Mechanical Engineering) when I worked in industrial diagnostics (digital FFT analyzers) who kept changing my “data are” edits back to “is” (“it just looks wrong”). Crew Cut Cracker also forbade me from using the words “atop” and “affixed” — e.g., “with the remote FFT sensors securely affixed atop the turbine housing.”
“They look Faggy.”
You and I, sir, will simply have to disagree.
by BobbyG on February 15th, 2013 at 21:34
Data “are.” But, then, I obviously have an agendum.
by Chris Sampson on March 6th, 2013 at 03:35
The European Journal of Health Economics changed ‘health care’ to ‘health-care’ in my proofs. Madness.