"The DOT" or "DOT"

[kphoger]

Nobody says "the NASCAR"

True acronyms—those that can be pronounced as a word—don't take the definite article because they basically function as proper names.  This is why nobody is arguing about NAFTA, OPEC, GEICO, or POTUS.

[kphoger]

The Brits say that a person is "in hospital"

Related to the discussion upthread, the Brits don't use a definite article before "hospital." "We're going to hospital" is correct British English.

you don't say

[Big John]

The Open.
The Times.

The Brits need to get over themselves already.

Related to the discussion upthread, the Brits don't use a definite article before "hospital." "We're going to hospital" is correct British English.

or higher education.  They go to "university", not "the university"

[Molandfreak]

The Brits say that a person is "in hospital"

Related to the discussion upthread, the Brits don't use a definite article before "hospital." "We're going to hospital" is correct British English.

you don't say

D'oh

[kphoger]

https://www.aaroads.com/forum/index.php?topic=36868.msg3025869#msg3025869

D'oh

you don't say

[Molandfreak]

The Open.
The Times.

The Brits need to get over themselves already.

Related to the discussion upthread, the Brits don't use a definite article before "hospital." "We're going to hospital" is correct British English.

or higher education.  They go to "university", not "the university"

Admittedly I don't know much about the British education system, but I think it's pretty similar across the commonwealth, and most (all?) of the institutions which offer Bachelor's degrees are universities in Canada, whereas colleges are provincially-run and only offer the equivalent of an associate's degree. "Going to college" in Canada pretty much exclusively means going to a community/technical college while "going to university" means you are getting a bachelor's degree or beyond. Meanwhile, "going to college" in the US could mean going to a community/technical college, attending a private college whose primary offering is bachelor's degrees, or going to what is really called a university for undergraduate education.

[kphoger]

Or, looking at it another way...

Why do we Americans say "went off to college" but "went off to the university"?  That is weird.  It's like we think there's only one university in the whole country or something.

[Dirt Roads]

Nobody says "the NASCAR"

True acronyms—those that can be pronounced as a word—don't take the definite article because they basically function as proper names.  This is why nobody is arguing about NAFTA, OPEC, GEICO, or POTUS.

Except for when the acronym starts with certain vowel sounds.  Back in olden days, we didn't say You-Pee-Ess for the brown United Parcel Service trucks, we said "the Ups truck"; but you would never say "the UNESCO".  Similarly, you might say you took "the ASVAB" test in high school, but you wouldn't say "the ay-feeze" (AAFES) when talking about your military post exchange, nor would you say "the AFLAC" when talking about insurance.

In a different vein, you might say "the Emcon" or "the Emcon system" for a diesel engine; also you would say "the EULA" for your software license; but you wouldn't say "the EPCOT". 

It gets a bit tricky here, as some of these feel like they are slipping over into the preeminence article.

[Dirt Roads]

Or, looking at it another way...

Why do we Americans say "went off to college" but "went off to the university"?  That is weird.  It's like we think there's only one university in the whole country or something.

Women go to college to get more knowledge...

[vdeane]

Or, looking at it another way...

Why do we Americans say "went off to college" but "went off to the university"?  That is weird.  It's like we think there's only one university in the whole country or something.

They're presumably referring to whichever one is applicable.  It's like "went to high school" vs. "went to the high school".  The former refers to getting an education resulting in a high school diploma.  The latter refers to a trip to a specific building.

Incidentally, I never knew so many insurance companies were actually acronyms before this thread.

[kphoger]

Except for when the acronym starts with certain vowel sounds.  Back in olden days, we didn't say You-Pee-Ess for the brown United Parcel Service trucks, we said "the Ups truck";

In that case, Ups is functioning as an adjective.  It's the truck → It's the Ups truck.

I grew up in a small rural town, population 1300 and falling.  One boring weekday morning, a bunch of old farts were sitting in the doughnut shop having coffee.  An old family friend was there (an old fart himself, you might say), noting to himself how completely and utterly boring the morning was.  The UPS truck drove by.  One patron said to everyone and no one in particular, "There's the Ups truck".  Another one answered, "Yup".  And that was it!  Our friend couldn't take the dullness any longer and bolted out the door.

Similarly, you might say you took "the ASVAB" test in high school

That's an interesting line of thinking to go down.  I might say that ASVAB is functioning as an adjective, but we also say "took the ASVAB" without using the word test at all.  I wonder why that is, or if there are similar cases from which to draw a pattern.

nor would you say "the AFLAC" when talking about insurance.

In a different vein, you might say "the Emcon" or "the Emcon system" for a diesel engine; also you would say "the EULA" for your software license; but you wouldn't say "the EPCOT".

I wonder if we're starting to hit on the pattern here.  I feel like ASVAB and Emcon aren't really functioning like a proper name, whereas AFLAC is.

[kphoger]

They're presumably referring to whichever one is applicable.  It's like "went to high school" vs. "went to the high school".  The former refers to getting an education resulting in a high school diploma.  The latter refers to a trip to a specific building.

But no.  I hear people say things like "when I was at the university" or "when I was in the university"—and they mean that they were enrolled and earning a degree, not that they were physically in a particular set of buildings.

[hbelkins]

Around here, "the university" refers to one particular institution: the University of Kentucky.

"We're related to that boy who plays ball at the university."

--My grandmother, referring to Richie Farmer, who played at UK in the late 80s-early 90s.

[1995hoo]

Or, looking at it another way...

Why do we Americans say "went off to college" but "went off to the university"?  That is weird.  It's like we think there's only one university in the whole country or something.

Women go to college to get more knowledge...

But all they want to do is learn how to score?

[Molandfreak]

Or, looking at it another way...

Why do we Americans say "went off to college" but "went off to the university"?  That is weird.  It's like we think there's only one university in the whole country or something.

They're presumably referring to whichever one is applicable.  It's like "went to high school" vs. "went to the high school".  The former refers to getting an education resulting in a high school diploma.  The latter refers to a trip to a specific building.

Incidentally, I never knew so many insurance companies were actually acronyms before this thread.

I think the difference between the terminologies stems more from the fact that the US has many more private colleges offering only bachelor's degrees, so the distinction between different types of undergraduate education wasn't as important here when PhD's started to be awarded in the 19th century.

I don't think I've ever heard a Canadian distinguishing between grad school and undergraduate university education unless it was absolutely necessary.