3/23/2023 0 Comments Phenomenon or phenomena![]() Merriam-Webster does not indicate a preferred plural for this definition: “a rare or significant fact or event.” So, presumably, both plurals can be used. a fact or event of scientific interest susceptible to scientific description and explanation.a temporal or spatiotemporal object of sensory experience as distinguished from a noumenon.an object or aspect known through the senses rather than by thought or intuition.Otherwise, the following definitions of phenomenon have “phenomena” as the plural: Specifically, the definition “an exceptional, unusual, or abnormal person, thing, or occurrence” pluralizes to “phenomenons”. Interestingly, Merriam-Webster lists some definitions of phenomenon as having the plural “phenomena” and others as having the plural “phenomenons”. The new definition of phenomena made its way into popular usage by 1788. The Online Etymology Dictionary confirms that the definition of phenomenon meaning “an appearance or immediate object of experience” comes from the period directly after the publication of that book. Kant outlined the differences between a noumenon and a phenomenon in The Critique of Pure Reason (1781). Kant contended that “the phenomenal world is an expression of power and that the source from which this power comes can only be the noumenal world beyond.” According to the Encyclopaedia Britannica, Kant described a noumenon as, “the thing-in-itself ( das Ding an sich) as opposed to what Kant called the phenomenon-the thing as it appears to an observer.” He used this terminology to distinguish between speculative reason and practical (or moral) reason. He provided definitions for both noumena and phenomena. Immanuel Kant’s work in philosophy had a large impact on how we understand phenomena today. ![]() The Online Etymology Dictionary explains that an -a is “the nominative neuter plural ending of certain nouns and adjectives in Latin and Greek that have been adopted into English.” Immanuel Kant and Phenomena In the 1570’s, the word made its way into the English language, referring to “a fact directly observed, a thing that appears or is perceived, an occurrence.”Īs a word borrowed directly from Latin, the singular form phenomenon retained the plural phenomena. By Late Latin, the spelling phænomenon emerged. Already, the Greek phainomenon resembled our modern word “phenomenon”. The passive form, phainesthai, meant “to appear.” From the neuter present participle of phainesthai, we get the noun form, phainomenon. According to the Online Etymology Dictionary, the word phenomenon originated with the Proto-Indo-European (PIE) root bha-, meaning “to shine.” The Greek word phainein, to “bring to light, cause to appear, show,” developed from that PIE root. ![]()
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