# Why do British English speakers omit the definite article? "Go to Hospital!" **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [July 21, 2008, 12:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-british-english-speakers-omit-the-definite-article-go-to-hospital/457206 "2008-07-21T00:12:54Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![An\_Gadai](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d6d6ee/32.png) [@An\_Gadai](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/An_Gadai)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2008, 5:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-british-english-speakers-omit-the-definite-article-go-to-hospital/457206/41 "2008-07-21T17:53:31Z")
[QUOTE=elmwood] Is the speech pattern common among Scots-Irish? If so, it might explain its use in certain regions of the United States (Appalachia, some parts of the South) where Scots-Irish were a large percentage of early settlers/ [/QUOTE] I’m not entirely sure to be honest. You might want to axe one of the Norn Iron dopers like **Pushkin** or **Irishgirl**. The usage is claimed to come from Gaelic and I’ve no knowledge of how many of the Ulster-Scots/Scots-Irish spoke Scots Gaelic and how many spoke Lallands/Scots-English. ---
**Author:** ![zweisamkeit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zweisamkeit/32/4360_2.png) [@zweisamkeit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zweisamkeit)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2008, 8:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-british-english-speakers-omit-the-definite-article-go-to-hospital/457206/42 "2008-07-21T20:44:52Z")
[QUOTE=snailboy] I’ll note that in Canada and perhaps Britain, colleges and universities are completely distinct. Here, universities are just large colleges. So even if we go to a university, we’re still going to college. They can only go to college or university, not both. (Well not at the same time anyway.) [/QUOTE] My university had several distinct (though small; it was a small uni) colleges: the College of Arts & Sciences, the College of Engineering, the College of Architecture, etc. etc. So my degrees say \_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_ \_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_ University, College of Arts & Sciences. A friend’s degree says \_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_ \_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_ University, College of Engineering. And so on. I’m born and bred American but I use the uni/university phrasing as well; it just makes sense to me in the context of the uni I went to. ---
**Author:** ![Rucksinator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/898d66/32.png) [@Rucksinator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rucksinator)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2008, 9:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-british-english-speakers-omit-the-definite-article-go-to-hospital/457206/43 "2008-07-21T21:36:34Z")
[QUOTE=Colophon] … E.g. Americans don’t say “I’ll be late for the school” … [/QUOTE] No [QUOTE=Colophon] … or “I have to go to the school in the morning”, would they? [/QUOTE] I would interpret this along the lines of “I’ve got to swing by the school to pick something up”; not “I’ve got to attend class.” For that you’d leave off the “the”. And, as everyone else has said, the problem (to U.S. Ears) with “Go to University” is not that “the” is missing, but that Brits use “university” where we use “college” to generically refer to higher education. “She’s going to college” means “she’s gong to a school of higher learning” (one that most likely has “University” in the title instead of “college”). ---
**Author:** ![Magiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4491bb/32.png) [@Magiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Magiver)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2008, 9:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-british-english-speakers-omit-the-definite-article-go-to-hospital/457206/44 "2008-07-21T21:38:03Z")
[QUOTE=SeanArenas] Here in America, I have heard nurses of different doctor’s offices refer to their doctor as “Doctor,” not “Doctor so-and-so,” and not, “The Doctor,” just “Doctor.” As in: Doctor will see you now. Make an appointment with Doctor. Doctor has given you a referral to the lab. [/QUOTE] Does Nurse know how to speak English? 😉 I think the op is referring to British English as spoken by professionals. ---
**Author:** ![Magiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4491bb/32.png) [@Magiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Magiver)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2008, 9:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-british-english-speakers-omit-the-definite-article-go-to-hospital/457206/45 "2008-07-21T21:46:58Z")
[QUOTE=Rucksinator] No I would interpret this along the lines of “I’ve got to swing by the school to pick something up”; not “I’ve got to attend class.” For that you’d leave off the “the”. And, as everyone else has said, the problem (to U.S. Ears) with “Go to University” is not that “the” is missing, but that Brits use “university” where we use “college” to generically refer to higher education. “She’s going to college” means “she’s gong to a school of higher learning” (one that most likely has “University” in the title instead of “college”). [/QUOTE] That kinda makes sense. Same thing for hospital? I’m amazed how far the language has changed since our last tea party. So much of it is bracketed in the form of expressions that don’t make literal sense. But somehow it all comes out in the wash and Bob’s your Uncle. ---
**Author:** ![KneadToKnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kneadtoknow/32/3999_2.png) [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2008, 10:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-british-english-speakers-omit-the-definite-article-go-to-hospital/457206/46 "2008-07-21T22:06:34Z")
[QUOTE=Zsofia] “He’s got the AIDS, you know.” [/QUOTE] Obligatory _Family Guy_ reference. ---
**Author:** ![GorillaMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/50afbb/32.png) [@GorillaMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GorillaMan)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2008, 10:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-british-english-speakers-omit-the-definite-article-go-to-hospital/457206/47 "2008-07-21T22:07:50Z")
[QUOTE=Capt. Ridley’s Shooting Party] And the colleges of Oxford and Cambridge. [/QUOTE] Importantly, the degrees in both cases are awarded not by the colleges, but by the university. Naturally, there’s an exception to this new explanation, too, with independent degree-awarding institutions such as the Royal College of Music. ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2008, 10:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-british-english-speakers-omit-the-definite-article-go-to-hospital/457206/48 "2008-07-21T22:12:14Z")
[QUOTE=zweisamkeit] My university had several distinct (though small; it was a small uni) colleges: the College of Arts & Sciences, the College of Engineering, the College of Architecture, etc. etc. So my degrees say \_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_ \_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_ University, College of Arts & Sciences. A friend’s degree says \_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_ \_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_ University, College of Engineering. And so on. I’m born and bred American but I use the uni/university phrasing as well; it just makes sense to me in the context of the uni I went to. [/QUOTE] Almost all American universities are organized in this manner, with the university being subdivided into schools and colleges. Still, Americans say “I went to college at X.” Substituting “university” for “college” in this sounds distinctly like non-American usage. ---
**Author:** ![Cisco](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ccd318/32.png) [@Cisco](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cisco)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2008, 10:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-british-english-speakers-omit-the-definite-article-go-to-hospital/457206/49 "2008-07-21T22:13:21Z")
[QUOTE=amarone] I sometimes think that questions beginning with “Why” should be banned from GQ. And especially if it relates to how people speak because the answer is pretty much always “because”. There’s no logic. [/QUOTE] I agree. It seems a lot of the threads around here lately have become big appeals to authority\*. I think because some of the more obscure factual questions that have gotten answers here, people think the SDMB is a big fount of wisdom and insight. I also think some people just get some kind of kick out of asking really obscure, really specific questions (teachers praise and reward children for asking these types of questions so it stands to reason that some people would continue the practice of trying to come up with the most obscure, most specific questions well into adulthood.) The clear answer to a question like this, that should be obvious to anybody, is, “I dunno.” \*I realize that is not the precise, common accepted usage of the term appeal to authority, but use context to figure out what I mean here ---
**Author:** ![BiblioCat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ed8c4c/32.png) [@BiblioCat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BiblioCat)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2008, 1:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-british-english-speakers-omit-the-definite-article-go-to-hospital/457206/50 "2008-07-22T01:42:12Z")
[QUOTE=susan] Go to a nursing home or similar environment. “Doctor” is used as a proper noun when talking down to patients. I’ve heard this usage in the mid-Atlantic, Midwest, New England, and Northwest regions, as well as in Canada. [/QUOTE] I’m in the Mid-Atlantic area, and I do spend a lot of time in nursing homes as well as hospitals. I’ve never heard it here. ---
**Author:** ![zweisamkeit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zweisamkeit/32/4360_2.png) [@zweisamkeit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zweisamkeit)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2008, 1:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-british-english-speakers-omit-the-definite-article-go-to-hospital/457206/51 "2008-07-22T01:58:58Z")
[QUOTE=acsenray] Almost all American universities are organized in this manner, with the university being subdivided into schools and colleges. Still, Americans say “I went to college at X.” Substituting “university” for “college” in this sounds distinctly like non-American usage. [/QUOTE] Well, I only bothered to specify because the person I quoted said: > [@](#): > > Here, universities are just large colleges. Which is completely different than universities being divided into several/many colleges. And yes, I know what the vast majority of Americans say. I’m just saying that I don’t and tried to explain my reasoning why (I don’t really look fondly upon my time at the College of Arts & Sciences. I look fondly at going to the university that housed that college. Makes sense to say uni instead of college to me. :: shrug :: I don’t care what anyone else calls it; it all means the same colloquial thing). ---
**Author:** ![Hail\_Ants](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/dc4da7/32.png) [@Hail\_Ants](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hail_Ants)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2008, 3:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-british-english-speakers-omit-the-definite-article-go-to-hospital/457206/52 "2008-07-22T03:32:53Z")
> [@SeanArenas](#): > > Here in America, I have heard nurses of different doctor’s offices refer to their doctor as “Doctor,” not “Doctor so-and-so,” and not, “The Doctor,” just “Doctor.” As in: > Doctor will see you now. > Make an appointment with Doctor. > Doctor has given you a referral to the lab. > Reply With Quote “Mr. Burkemsham?” "Me Doctor? “No, me Doctor, you Mr Burkemsham” “But my wife, Doctor!” “No, your wife patient. You Mr Burkemsham, me Doctor!” “Mr Burkemsham?” “Me sister?” “No, she sister, you Mr Burkemsham” “But my wife, sister…” “No, your wife patient, she sister, you Mr Burkemsham, me Doctor!” “No Doctor” “No doctor, call ambulance, keep warm” “Albatross!” ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2008, 4:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-british-english-speakers-omit-the-definite-article-go-to-hospital/457206/53 "2008-07-22T04:36:17Z")
[QUOTE=zweisamkeit] Well, I only bothered to specify because the person I quoted said: Which is completely different than universities being divided into several/many colleges. [/quote] It reflects two different meanings of the word “college” as used in _American_ English. The primary meaning of “college” is as a synonym for “university.” They are, for the most part, interchangeable. The second meaning of the word “college” is as a subdivision of “university.” But this meaning is highly dependent on context. In most cases, “college” means “university,” unless it’s already clear from context that you’re talking about a subdivision of a university. ---
**Author:** ![calm\_kiwi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9fc348/32.png) [@calm\_kiwi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/calm_kiwi)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2008, 11:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-british-english-speakers-omit-the-definite-article-go-to-hospital/457206/54 "2008-07-22T11:18:03Z")
One that always interests me is the American “I will write you” versus the more usual “I will write TO you” “I will write you” always sounds so wrong, why did the ‘to’ vanish from American English? ---
**Author:** ![Khadaji](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Khadaji](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Khadaji)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2008, 11:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-british-english-speakers-omit-the-definite-article-go-to-hospital/457206/55 "2008-07-22T11:34:24Z")
[QUOTE=calm kiwi] One that always interests me is the American “I will write you” versus the more usual “I will write TO you” “I will write you” always sounds so wrong, why did the ‘to’ vanish from American English? [/QUOTE] On a similar note: _Recommend me a XXXX_ jars my ears. ---
**Author:** ![BiblioCat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ed8c4c/32.png) [@BiblioCat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BiblioCat)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2008, 1:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-british-english-speakers-omit-the-definite-article-go-to-hospital/457206/56 "2008-07-22T13:27:06Z")
[QUOTE=calm kiwi] One that always interests me is the American “I will write you” versus the more usual “I will write TO you” “I will write you” always sounds so wrong, why did the ‘to’ vanish from American English? [/QUOTE] I think the word ‘to’ ran off with the word ‘be.’ “The car needs washed.” “The chicken needs cooked.” I think they’re both regionalisms (dropping the ‘to’ and ‘to be’), but I’ve never said either one. ---
**Author:** ![TheLoadedDog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/35a633/32.png) [@TheLoadedDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TheLoadedDog)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2008, 1:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-british-english-speakers-omit-the-definite-article-go-to-hospital/457206/57 "2008-07-22T13:32:50Z")
ONe of the major ignorance-fighting things for which I am very grateful, and which has disabused me of a particular snobbery, is the fact that this board has taught me that British/Commonwealth English isn’t somehow _better_ than US English. I’ve seen a lot of Americans get taught the reverse lesson too. Too many threads to list (or even find), but over the years, I’ve seen both sides meet and match claims with evidence to the contrary. “Color” might still grate slightly to me, but I don’t find it somehow _wrong_ any longer. But there are a few things which _are_ demonstrably “better” on both sides - only a few, mind - and the Commonwealth usage regarding “hospital” and “THE hospital” is one which I will defend as such. This is simply because it provides greater subtlety and reduces ambiguity. I can’t think of any off the top of my head, but there are some Americanisms I prefer for the same reason. Edited to add: I’ve thought of some American stuff I like - things like “Fall” for “autumn”. “Fall” is actually the original (it’s the Brits who changed), and although they are both equally useful words, “fall” is just straight out _prettier_. ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2008, 1:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-british-english-speakers-omit-the-definite-article-go-to-hospital/457206/58 "2008-07-22T13:55:44Z")
[QUOTE=calm kiwi] One that always interests me is the American “I will write you” versus the more usual “I will write TO you” “I will write you” always sounds so wrong, why did the ‘to’ vanish from American English? [/QUOTE] I don’t think this is a regionalism. It’s standard English grammar. I will give a present to you –\> I will give you a present I will write a letter to you –\> I will write you a letter ---
**Author:** ![Rucksinator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/898d66/32.png) [@Rucksinator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rucksinator)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2008, 2:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-british-english-speakers-omit-the-definite-article-go-to-hospital/457206/59 "2008-07-22T14:06:19Z")
[QUOTE=calm kiwi] One that always interests me is the American “I will write you” versus the more usual “I will write TO you” “I will write you” always sounds so wrong, why did the ‘to’ vanish from American English? [/QUOTE] How would a Kiwi say that they were going to send someone a text message? ---
**Author:** ![TheLoadedDog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/35a633/32.png) [@TheLoadedDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TheLoadedDog)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2008, 2:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-british-english-speakers-omit-the-definite-article-go-to-hospital/457206/60 "2008-07-22T14:52:23Z")
[QUOTE=Rucksinator] How would a Kiwi say that they were going to send someone a text message? [/QUOTE] “Ull sund yuw a tuxt mussige.” 😃 [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-british-english-speakers-omit-the-definite-article-go-to-hospital/457206.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-british-english-speakers-omit-the-definite-article-go-to-hospital/457206.md?page=4)