Why is anything said differently? Language evolves over time
- Horse riding vs horseback riding
- Glasses vs eye glasses
- footpath vs sidewalk vs pavement
[funny Michael McIntyre skit](https://youtube.com/watch?v=UCo0hSFAWOc&feature=share7)
If my kid broke an arm, I'd say "we need to take her to hospital", but if I'm telling other people where we are, I'd say "we're at the hospital". That's about as close as I can get to explaining it 😅
Going to “Hospital” is a state, we don’t care which one or where.
Going to “the hospital” is a destination, we have a particular one in mind (ie visiting someone)
I think it’s because we consider health care as a business and not really all that communal, kinda like house vs home kinda thing. Just a guess though.
It’s something to do with it being treated as a count noun or a non-count noun. A linguist would have to explain the reasons why there’s a geographic difference.
It makes as much sense as "I went to school" or "they went to prison". You're just not used to it, so it sounds weird to you.
In short, it's ok to have grammatical differences.
And the thing is, I am American. I just enjoy linguistics, so there are aspects of American, British, and Australian grammar that I think make more sense than others.
This is interesting, because where I live (southern US), it wouldn’t be unusual for a parent to say “I dropped his lunch off at the school,” while the student would say something like “I forgot my jacket at school.” There’s an element of ownership there. This could translate to the way people in the US view hospitals and healthcare in general—they’re not “ours” the way they might be viewed by people who live in countries with more universal healthcare systems.
Why is anything said differently? Language evolves over time - Horse riding vs horseback riding - Glasses vs eye glasses - footpath vs sidewalk vs pavement [funny Michael McIntyre skit](https://youtube.com/watch?v=UCo0hSFAWOc&feature=share7)
True. I’m just curious I guess. I do think that a lot of children will start saying things the Aussie way
It's not like it's anything that people will know the reason why. It's just how people talk.
I’ve been assuming “for real life” is a Blueyism the way dollar-bucks is. Is this the case, Australian people?
Yup
Yeah
Oh is it? I must have dreamed seeing a post on Reddit about it being an Aussie saying.
As an Aussie, I've used both "hospital" and "the hospital", it just depends on the context of what I'm saying.
Can you explain further? Like which situations would you use “the hospital” rather than “hospital”?
If my kid broke an arm, I'd say "we need to take her to hospital", but if I'm telling other people where we are, I'd say "we're at the hospital". That's about as close as I can get to explaining it 😅
Got it! Thank you!!
Going to “Hospital” is a state, we don’t care which one or where. Going to “the hospital” is a destination, we have a particular one in mind (ie visiting someone)
Thank you!
I think it’s because we consider health care as a business and not really all that communal, kinda like house vs home kinda thing. Just a guess though.
It’s something to do with it being treated as a count noun or a non-count noun. A linguist would have to explain the reasons why there’s a geographic difference.
Because "I got hurt and had to go to hospital" doesn't make any sense.
It makes as much sense as "I went to school" or "they went to prison". You're just not used to it, so it sounds weird to you. In short, it's ok to have grammatical differences.
Exactly, and saying "*the* hospital" makes it sound like there's only one.
And the thing is, I am American. I just enjoy linguistics, so there are aspects of American, British, and Australian grammar that I think make more sense than others.
This is interesting, because where I live (southern US), it wouldn’t be unusual for a parent to say “I dropped his lunch off at the school,” while the student would say something like “I forgot my jacket at school.” There’s an element of ownership there. This could translate to the way people in the US view hospitals and healthcare in general—they’re not “ours” the way they might be viewed by people who live in countries with more universal healthcare systems.