In? On? Google

[Barnhart]

Perhaps getting _on_ an airplane or even a train devolves from getting _on
board_, _on-board_, or even _aboard_.

Regards,
David

barnhart at highlands.com

American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU> writes:
>---------------------- Information from the mail header
>-----------------------
>Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
>Poster:       "David A. Daniel" <dad at POKERWIZ.COM>
>Subject:      Re: In? On? Google
>-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
>Usage of in and on is highly idiomatic. We all know that while normal
>people
>are waiting in line New Yorkers are waiting on line. And as George Carlin
>says (or at least used to say) "You can get ON an airplane if you want to,
>but I am going to get IN it."
>DAD
>
>
>-----Original Message-----
>From: American Dialect Society [mailto:ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU] On Behalf
>Of
>Mark Mandel
>Sent: Friday, September 28, 2007 10:07 PM
>To: ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU
>Subject: Re: In? On? Google
>
>
>My guess (or theory or hypothesis if I want to sound more scholarly) is
>that
>places defined as surfaces take ON and places defined by boundaries on
>surfaces take IN:
>
>on Earth, on the Moon, on small islands (Staten Island)
>
>in Rochester, in the US, in large islands (Greenland), continents (Europe,
>Australia, Africa)
>
>This mainlander thinks of Hawai`i as a state and so a political entity
>rather than a topographic one; similarly e.g. Iceland or Greenland. Do
>Hawai`ians say "in" or "on" for Oahu? for the big island (i.e., the island
>Hawai`i)?
>
>m a m
>
>On 9/25/07, Your Name <ROSESKES at aol.com> wrote:
>>
>> I've always been fascinated by how we choose "in" vs. "on."  I  live ON
>> the
>> earth, but I live IN Rochester - which is  obviously ON the earth.  I'd
>> never
>> say I lived ON Rochester or IN the  earth.  I found the info IN the
>> dictionary,
>> but ON the internet  (or on Google).  Is that because the info was ON
>the
>> pages, but the pages  were contained INside the book covers?  While the
>> Google
>> info appears ON my  monitor screen?
>>
>> Anyone who can shed any light on how we choose IN vs. ON?
>>
>> Rosemarie
>>
>> The worst thing about censorship is **************************  !
>>
>>
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