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From: alan@dragon.acadiau.ca (Alan McKay)
Subject: Re: Odd English [was: American] Words
Message-ID: <1995Aug17.173926.16346@relay.acadiau.ca>
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References: <1995Aug14.172223.1144@relay.acadiau.ca> <DDD3o6.Ao9@watdragon.uwaterloo.ca> <40ve24$5dd@dove.nist.gov>
Date: Thu, 17 Aug 1995 17:39:26 GMT
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billf@osi.ncsl.nist.gov (Bill Fisher) writes:

>In article <DDD3o6.Ao9@watdragon.uwaterloo.ca>, Cheryl Rosbak <csrosbak> writes:
>>   I've heard that Southern Ontarians (of which I am one) are the only English
>> speaking people to say someone is "in hospital" or is going "to hospital", 
>> instead of "in _the_ hospital" or "to _the_ hospital". Is this true, or just
>> one 
>> of our conceits? Do other Canadians use this construction?
>> 
>> Cheryl.
>> 
>  I know I've heard Brits say this.  Of course, if the universe of countries
>is just the Americas, then you could say Canadians are the only ones ...

To me, an Eastern Canadian, the above sounds really strange, as if it
were spoken in broken English by a Slavic person who isn't used to
using articles.  Although, now that I think of it, "in hospital" almost
sounds correct.  But the other most certainly does not.

Neat.

-Alan

-- 
		"The problem with public washrooms is,
			you have to let the public in"
				-Rob Campbell	
http://www.acadiau.ca/cc/alan/
