tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8377709913595182916.post1888824528875721224..comments2024-03-14T10:31:26.918+00:00Comments on DCblog: On on and on atDChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10192779827863835310noreply@blogger.comBlogger33125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8377709913595182916.post-67543541543622707402011-07-08T10:13:40.616+00:002011-07-08T10:13:40.616+00:00I'm a British academic living in Ireland. I to...I'm a British academic living in Ireland. I too would say 'open your book at p. 40' (though how you could miraculously make your book fall open at the correct page without a spot of riffling, I'm not sure), 'turn to p. 40' and 'the passage is on p. 40'. But the usage 'at p. 40' for the location of a passage is a feature of some academic referencing-styles, for example the style used in the journal Anglo-Saxon England (which is British-based) e.g. C. B. Pasternack, 'Stylistic Disjunctions in The Dream of the Rood', ASE 13 (1984), 167-86 (at p. 170).Dothttp://kenanddot.wordpress.com/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8377709913595182916.post-19199320398961817052011-06-29T21:30:57.198+00:002011-06-29T21:30:57.198+00:00We had some discussion about this at (in in Americ...We had some discussion about this at (in in American English?) our private language school in the US. The American teachers always say "open to page" whereas the Australians and British teachers say "open at page".Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8377709913595182916.post-88658041404382061622011-06-25T07:30:22.413+00:002011-06-25T07:30:22.413+00:00I am an American military brat who attended public...I am an American military brat who attended public, private and Department of Defense (DOD) schools all over the U.S. and on Okinawa. When we opened our books TO a page and were ON that page, we would read.Hollisnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8377709913595182916.post-35291561848587593412011-06-18T00:39:15.242+00:002011-06-18T00:39:15.242+00:00Commenting as a British academic living in America...Commenting as a British academic living in America, 36yo, grew up in Lancashire.<br /><br />I would always say 'I'm on page 36' to describe where I was up to in a book, as I would also say 'we're on series 4 of Grey's Anatomy' or 'I'm on level 4 of that game'. <br /><br />Wrt 'at', I think there's a difference between normal usage and academic footnote usage. In a book group, or talking to a friend, or when communicating with my students either orally or in writing I think I'd say 'there's a good example on page 7'. But in a footnote I might well write 'see examples at pp. 7 and 17.' Don't know if I'm imagining this or whether others have noticed this phenomenon.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8377709913595182916.post-19091531588584028642011-06-10T10:31:55.998+00:002011-06-10T10:31:55.998+00:00I'm not quite sure usage will ever settle down...I'm not quite sure usage will ever settle down. People aren't getting told what's right from the off (it's not like we've developed any internet-related grammar etiquette yet), and as native English speakers we don't tend to analyse how we're doing things. <br />Usage of prepositions always seems to blur, not just on the internet, though.Jessikathttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10141022278751851068noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8377709913595182916.post-84416055777797927482011-06-10T10:20:17.018+00:002011-06-10T10:20:17.018+00:00Hi David, I too must apologise for not clarifying ...Hi David, I too must apologise for not clarifying where I am from - I am also from Australia (currently, the Gold Coast) - I was introduced to this blog by Daniel Zalec. Hope that helps you identify the linguistic nuance of 'how I speak' !goodenglishjaymahnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8377709913595182916.post-48451370270738326602011-06-10T09:53:21.606+00:002011-06-10T09:53:21.606+00:00Thank you for clarifying, David. I will add, then,...Thank you for clarifying, David. I will add, then, that I am Australian - born and raised in Australia, and still living in Australia.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8377709913595182916.post-66670497020032714822011-06-10T09:47:34.831+00:002011-06-10T09:47:34.831+00:00Thanks for that. I've now posted a general pie...Thanks for that. I've now posted a general piece on the anonymity issue. In relation to that, it's not necessary, from a sociolinguistic point of view, to give one's name or contact details, but social data of a general kind - and certainly information about the status of a contribution - is important.DChttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10192779827863835310noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8377709913595182916.post-23931043074193991972011-06-10T09:36:16.582+00:002011-06-10T09:36:16.582+00:00Dear David, I should have specified, my example (a...Dear David, I should have specified, my example (above) was fictional (i.e. how "on" or "at" could possibly be applied, with the example being inspired by the original post and the subsequent comments. Forgive me.<br /><br />As for who I am, my name is Daniel Zalec. I am a freelance writer/editor. I hold a BA (Literature & Composition) from Griffith University and an MA (Writing) from Swinburne University of Technology. You can Google "daniel zalec swinburne" or simply click on my name in this comments section, which will take you to my LiveJournal.<br /><br />Hope this helps. Daniel.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8377709913595182916.post-25163168320753783182011-06-10T08:23:20.117+00:002011-06-10T08:23:20.117+00:00Interesting as these last examples are, they don&#...Interesting as these last examples are, they don't help take forward the issue, because the correspondents don't tell us anything about who they are. In a usage discussion of this kind, it is essential that people say at the very least where they're from. But this point is too important to be buried in a forum comment. See next post.DChttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10192779827863835310noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8377709913595182916.post-20331598938398844312011-06-10T02:15:33.535+00:002011-06-10T02:15:33.535+00:00I would say, 'open your book at page 60'. ...I would say, 'open your book at page 60'. Or, 'Go to page 60'. And, 'I'm on page 60'. Or, 'I'm up to page 60'.goodenglishjaymahhttp://www.goodenglishjaymah.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8377709913595182916.post-36034238973302979632011-06-09T23:28:41.632+00:002011-06-09T23:28:41.632+00:00My example application, just for fun: I found a bo...My example application, just for fun: I found a book mentioned on the Internet, which I thought I would like. I ordered it. When it arrived, I immediately turned to page 5, since page 5 had been noted by a number of users online to contain the best passage in the whole book. When I was asked by my students why I was late to my lecture the following day, and why I was clutching my book so enthusiastically, I answered, "on page 5 of this book, you will find the answer to both of those questions." A little while later, one student called out, "Sir, I'm at page 5 now, but I can't see anything special on there." I said, "look again, kid. What you're looking for is in the final paragraph, on line 10, right at the bottom of the page."Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8377709913595182916.post-49179157948362753032011-06-09T17:39:31.118+00:002011-06-09T17:39:31.118+00:00Yes, I also use "open.. to". I'm Can...Yes, I also use "open.. to". I'm Canadian, though.eMELhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14733795636781640497noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8377709913595182916.post-81304917894310540662011-06-09T05:59:43.346+00:002011-06-09T05:59:43.346+00:00My (British English) usage is to open a book '...My (British English) usage is to open a book 'at' a page and refer to a passage 'on' the page. I've never, as far as I can remember, heard anyone say open it 'on' or 'to' a page.Sarahnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8377709913595182916.post-46308270377977573542011-06-08T11:38:42.378+00:002011-06-08T11:38:42.378+00:00This is how I understand the usage:
'To open ...This is how I understand the usage:<br /><br />'To open a book on...' = open the book and turn to a specific page.<br /><br />'Open a book at...' = the actual act of opening a book at a random page [of which we are informed.]<br /><br />I doubt such a nuanced difference in meaning exists in any other language.Leehttp://peakwalking.blogspot.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8377709913595182916.post-60733784302730863732011-06-08T10:16:23.065+00:002011-06-08T10:16:23.065+00:00I grew up and now live in the U.S. Midwest, and we...I grew up and now live in the U.S. Midwest, and went to university in New England. The only possibility in my dialect for opening a book is <i>to</i> a page, but I can refer to items either <i>on</i> or <i>at</i> a page.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8377709913595182916.post-63807361031512889652011-06-07T23:16:27.275+00:002011-06-07T23:16:27.275+00:00I grew up in California and "open to page...&...I grew up in California and "open to page..." is what I always heard.TakingaDayOffhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11421966034338980836noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8377709913595182916.post-13129991541898516662011-06-07T19:58:17.244+00:002011-06-07T19:58:17.244+00:00What about "on this view..." vs "in...What about "on this view..." vs "in this view..." which academics use. I struggle to see a view as a surface to put something on!Jayaravahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06815277098386812048noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8377709913595182916.post-90959871460940084452011-06-07T19:53:14.095+00:002011-06-07T19:53:14.095+00:00After over 60 years in the southern U.S. (Alabama,...After over 60 years in the southern U.S. (Alabama, Tennessee, North Caroline and Virginia) I've only encountered "to" used with phrases like "open your books."Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8377709913595182916.post-41923997755660933632011-06-07T18:40:04.293+00:002011-06-07T18:40:04.293+00:00I hope some readers from other parts of the US wil...I hope some readers from other parts of the US will put in their two-cents worth.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8377709913595182916.post-75747749808341424082011-06-07T13:30:41.994+00:002011-06-07T13:30:41.994+00:00Marc, Rick, and I grew up in the northeast US (New...Marc, Rick, and I grew up in the northeast US (New York City in my case). I wonder if "open ... to" is standard in the rest of the US.Amy Stollerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14067839246823753590noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8377709913595182916.post-76377158525284225952011-06-07T13:05:21.576+00:002011-06-07T13:05:21.576+00:00I'm happy to see such an interesting argumenta...I'm happy to see such an interesting argumentation starting from my comment. If the prepositions, 'in', 'at' and 'to' are acceptable, then I would like to see the differences among them in terms of meaning and forms. What is the reason why 'to' is accepted? Is that just because it is American English or 'to' has the notion of 'direction'?Takeshinoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8377709913595182916.post-12221569672834283102011-06-07T10:13:52.362+00:002011-06-07T10:13:52.362+00:00Brilliant post from the Brit Eng perspective. Engl...Brilliant post from the Brit Eng perspective. English Language - don't you just love it?ms_well.wordshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02781705566085277194noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8377709913595182916.post-89826936366045894662011-06-06T23:18:38.494+00:002011-06-06T23:18:38.494+00:00Marc: This seems to confirm the previous observati...Marc: This seems to confirm the previous observation.DChttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10192779827863835310noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8377709913595182916.post-57285105572213676952011-06-06T23:16:20.320+00:002011-06-06T23:16:20.320+00:00Amy: No, I was just going on a couple of accounts ...Amy: No, I was just going on a couple of accounts I had to hand. Could well be a US / UK difference here.DChttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10192779827863835310noreply@blogger.com