Thursday, July 28, 2005

Academic Pet Peeve

Are you tired of seeing "curriculum vita" when it should be "curriculum vitae"? Course OF one's life? Or, sadly, is it just me? This, from the career center folks in Blacksburg VA:

Curriculum vitae
A curriculum vitae (singular), meaning "course of one's life," is a document that gives much more detail than does a resume about your academic and professional accomplishments. Curricula vitae (plural) are most often used for academic or research positions, whereas resumes are the preferred documents in business and industry.
Note about plural / singular forms:"Curricula vitae" (vee-tie) is the plural form; "curriculum vitae" is singular. The informal shortened form, "vita" standing alone, meaning a brief autobiographical sketch (Webster's), is singular, while "vitae," is plural. The abbreviation is often used: CV or CVs.