Americans mispronounce this word because of Star Trek

Star Trek’s influence isn’t just felt in pop culture. The original series already featured scientific advances that only became a reality decades later: cell phones, tablets, and video telephony, for example.

In Star Trek: The Next Generation, the trend continued in a different way, and Patrick Stewart played an important role in how the word “data” is pronounced in the United States.

In 2019, during a panel at Big Apple Comic-Con, actor Brent Spiner brought up the topic, recounting how after the first read-through of the script with all the actors, including Gene Roddenberry and Rick Berman, his character’s name, Data, was mispronounced. Picard (Patrick Stewart) actually had the honor of being the first to pronounce the name Android, and he did so in his characteristic English accent. This immediately caused confusion.

The word “data” is usually pronounced with two “a”s, just like the French pronounce it. However, Stewart’s pronunciation was consistent with “ay”, hence “deita”. Of course it was immediately interrupted and then there was a brief discussion about how to pronounce the name.

however, Gene RoddenberryHe, like the seer, found a simple but elegant solution to the problem: whoever first uttered the name of a creature, character, or species determined its pronunciation. So if Picard pronounces Data first, Stewart would have to understand the pronunciation as well. It would also make future discussions on the subject obsolete.

A version of Picard that has become commonplace

Over time, pronouncing the name “data” as it sounds Star Trek: The Next Generation It became common in the United States. Of course, there are still people who believe that this expression is incorrect, but even dictionaries such as the Cambridge Dictionary or the Oxford English Dictionary refer to it. The Star Trek version of the word is indeed listed there as at least a legitimate alternative, and this once again shows the impact that the franchise as a phenomenon has on our real world.

You can watch Star Trek: The Next Generation Season 7 on Paramount+.

Watch Brent Spinner tell his story in the video below: