Communication(s)

I haven't been able to find a truly definitive answer to this one, but the dictionary is reasonably clear. When you're describing a broad field or network, it's "communications"; when the reference is more specific or targeted, it's "communication."

So it's the Federal Communications Commission, because the FCC deals with a broad and varied field. But it would be "the art of human communication," because the writer is talking here about one piece of a broad field---communication between humans.

This came up recently in a discuss of "covert communication" vs. "covert communications." My vote would be to keep it singular, unless more than one covert communication is involved. It can be argued, of course, that there is a broad field called "covert communications," but I'm not persuaded.

Schools can't agree, either. There are departments of mass communication and mass communications. But I'm for limiting the use of the plural.

Is that all clear? I thought not.